Ultimate Martial Arts Tournament
by Silver Warrior
Summary: The SemiFinals are underway. Who will win? Read to find out!
1. Chapter One: The Gathering

Disclaimer: I do not own anything shown here. As far as I know of, Street Fighter is owned by Capcom. Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting are owned by SNK and Takara respectively. Mortal Kombat is owned by Acclaim. G Gundam is owned by the Sotsu Agency. Dragon Ball Z is owned by, um, darn it I can't remember. Power Rangers in all its forms is owned by Saban. I think that's all.  
  
This takes place in the world of the Street Fighter TV show, with some modifications from the various games and some of the anime's. For Mortal Kombat, it is after Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (or Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3) but before MK5. I don't even know the story stuff on the games after MK4. For G Gundam, this takes place a year after the end of the series. For the SNK world, this takes place not long after battle with Wolfgang Krauser. Beyond that for that world I'm totally clueless. For Power Rangers, this takes place after the Wild Force episode "Forever Red", though I have altered some of the events of the episode so that Tommy had the same hairstyle he had at his last appearance in Turbo (shoulder length dark brown hair). As for DBZ, this takes place between DBZ and DBGT. I barely have a clue as to what happens in GT and know very little of DBZ beyond the episodes Cartoon Network has aired and that will likely always be the case.  
  
~~  
  
Ken Masters was sunbathing poolside. His training partner, Ryu, was meditating nearby. Ken had tried to get his old friend to relax, but it seemed virtually impossible. Relaxing just wasn't in Ryu's nature.  
  
"Hey guys," a feminine voice says.  
  
"Hey Chun Li," Ken says as he sits up, "what are you doing here?"  
  
The brown-haired Interpol agent grimaces. "Just got a lead on Akuma."  
  
At the mention of the name of his sensei's murderer, Ryu's eyes snap open.  
  
"Where is he?" he asks, his voice dangerously low.  
  
"Okinawa," Chun Li replies, "he recently took out Bison and Sagat. I think he's making a move to gain incredible strength since he stole their life force."  
  
"He's got to be stopped," Ryu says. Ken glances at his friend worriedly. Ryu catches the glance.  
  
"No, its not just for revenge for Sensei Gokun," Ryu says, "its to keep him from killing others. Remember, he once tried to take out Guile, but he underestimated the combined ability of Guile and Bison."  
  
"Wait, he stole Bison and Sagat's life force?" Ken asks.  
  
"Yeah, he did," Chun Li says.  
  
"Then he's more dangerous than ever," Ryu says, "and with the Shun Goku Zatsu, he's well-nigh invincible."  
  
"We've got to stop him," Ken says, "and Ryu and I are the only ones with the potential to stop him."  
  
"With the power of the Dark Hadou, he may very well be invincible," Ryu says.  
  
"Its gonna take the both of us to stop him," Ken says, "we are the heirs to the Shotokan School of Karate. I follow the same basic path that Akuma followed in training. I am the heir to the Yang side of the training. Ryu is the master/heir of the Yin side of the training. The two of us working together can take down anything."  
  
Chun Li purses her lips. "I hope so. Come on. We've got a long flight ahead of us."  
  
The three fighters leave the Masters mansion for the airport, their thoughts filled with images of the most evil man walking the face of the Earth.  
  
A few hours later, the three fighters are facing off against a man in coal- black gi pants and a torn coal-black gi shirt. His blood-red hair matches his eyes in color.  
  
"Your goin down Akuma," Ken boasts.  
  
"So you think, "Akuma says, his voice gravelly.  
  
"Akuma, you shall pay for all that you have done," Ryu says.  
  
"I'm placing you under arrest," Chun Li declares.  
  
"No, Chun Li, he is far too dangerous to be left alive," Ryu says grimly, "we only have one choice: to defeat him in battle. But then the one who defeats him must live the rest of their lives watching over their shoulder, constantly vigilant for Akuma demanding a rematch."  
  
"Fool!" Akuma growls, "do you think I have no honor?"  
  
"Lets go, Akuma," Ken says, crouching into a fighting stance.  
  
"Very well, boy," Akuma says, "do your best."  
  
In another dimension, two men square off against each other. One is tall, in his early to mid twenties, and heavily muscled, but not so much as to impede his motions. His dark blonde hair was slicked back, partly from the style forced on it and partly from sweat. His red gi was slightly tattered, a testament to the intensity of the fight.  
  
The other man, a lean yet decently muscled man of about the same age. His black hair was done in a ponytail. His jeans, t-shirt, and gi vest were also slightly tattered. Both men were breathing hard.  
  
"Nice fight Ryo," the lean man pants.  
  
"Same to you Robert," Ryo Sakazaki replies, "call it a day?"  
  
"Sure," Robert Gracia replies as he drops out of his fighting stance, "I'm hungry anyway."  
  
Ryo drops out of his fighting stance. The two friends/rivals head home where Ryo's sister is finishing up their lunch.  
  
In another part of that world, Terry Bogard sat in a lounge room with his brother Andy and his friend Joe Higashi. The trio were reminiscing of their recent battle with Wolfgang Krauser.  
  
"I keep telling ya, I coulda beat him!" Joe insists. As usual, the Muay Thai kickboxing champion was insisting that he was the best.  
  
"You could not," Andy replies. The level-headed member of the trio was in an argument with his hotheaded friend. "Krauser was and still is one of the most dangerous men in the world. He even gave Terry a run for his money."  
  
The last member of the group, Terry "The Lone Wolf" Bogard, was watching the conversation with interest.  
  
"Come on, Terry, do you think I could have beaten Krauser?" Joe asks.  
  
"If you had fought him, we'd be at your funeral right now," Terry replies.  
  
"You have no faith in me," Joe protests.  
  
"No, Krauser was deadly," Terry says, "he had no remorse and killed for pleasure."  
  
  
  
In a third dimension, two warriors were visiting the grave of a respected friend.  
  
"Johnny never deserved to die," Sonya Blade says.  
  
"No, he didn't," Liu says, "few people deserve to die. Shao Khan deserved to die. Not only for killing Johnny, but for what he tried to do."  
  
"What about Shang Tusng?" Sonya asks.  
  
"He deserved to die even more than Shao Khan," Liu replies, "he stole the souls of fighters and put them into the darkest form of slavery. He was evil, through and through. He chose to be what he became. Shao Khan was forced to become what he was, even if he did choose it willingly."  
  
"You are right," a voice resonating with power says from behind them. The two fighters of the Earth Realm turn to see Raiden, former protector god of Earth and now the third Elder God after the imprisonment of his father Shinnok.  
  
"Raiden," Liu says with a bow, "are you here to pay your respects to Johnny as well?"  
  
"Yes," Raiden says, "he was a valiant fighter and shall always be remembered. Liu, you are still a Mortal Kombat champion and have all of the bonuses that come from that. You will remain ageless until there is another Mortal Kombat. This may be next year, next month, or even the next millennium. You can still die, but you will not have to worry about old age, sickness, or anything like that."  
  
"Nothing natural, eh?" Liu asks.  
  
"Yes, nothing natural," Raiden agrees, "Johnny would have received the same had he not died. He was, technically, the champion of Earth Realm. However, he did not rightfully earn his fight with Goro. Still, he would have received all that being the champion of Earth Realm would entail."  
  
"Raiden, why did Johnny have to die?" Sonya asks, her voice choked with grief.  
  
"Even the gods cannot determine everyone's fate," Raiden replies, "his death was regretful. But unavoidable. He chose to challenge Shao Khan. And he never actually fought him. But his death could not be helped. I wish I could help, but there is nothing I can do without being punished as severely as Shinnok was."  
  
"Don't worry about it Raiden," Liu says as he lays a comforting hand on Sonya's shoulder  
  
In yet another dimension, a young man was cleaning up after a race.  
  
"Hey Tommy, you did great out there," David Trueheart tells his brother.  
  
"Thanks David," Tommy Oliver, former Power Ranger of five different sets of powers and three colors says, "I really put my all into it."  
  
"Wanna go catch a bite to eat?" David asks, "maybe spar a little afterwards?"  
  
"Sure thing bro," Tommy grins, "I don't wanna get out of shape. After all, there is still evil out there and the Red Zeo Ranger may be needed."  
  
"What happened to all of those other powers you used to have?" David asks, "I know you gave the Red Turbo powers to TJ, but what about the White Ranger and green Ranger powers?"  
  
"Well, the White Coin was destroyed when the timestream was turned back," Tommy replies, then reaches into a pocket and pulls out a familiar looking golden Power Coin. Giving off a low green radiance, it had a three-toed lizard-like footprint on one side while the other side was perfectly smooth.  
  
"Is that?" David begins cautiously.  
  
"Yep," Tommy says, pocketing the Green Coin, "it's the Power Coin of the Green Ranger. I've kept it with me as a sort of good luck charm."  
  
"Looks like it works," David says with a grin, "so, that thing got any power left?"  
  
"Maybe a little," Tommy replies, "but not much. Its pretty much maintaining what energy it has left from what the Zeo Powers are pumping through me."  
  
"Do the other former Zeo Rangers have their Zeonizers?" David asks.  
  
"Yep," Tommy says, "somehow, after Zordon's death, all of our powers were restored except for the Green Coin. For some reason, I guess not even his sacrifice couldn't undo such a tragedy."  
  
"Too bad man," David says, "and how have you been? From what I hear, you've pretty much taken over Zordon's job here on Earth. You look after all the various Ranger teams that have human members."  
  
"Its not an easy job, but all of the other Rangers agree that I'm the one best qualified," Tommy replies, "probably because I was a Ranger the longest. Billy was a Ranger almost as long as I was, but he is moving around between Aquitar, Triforia, and Eltare."  
  
"Are you ever gonna give it all up?" David asks, casting his brother a worried glance.  
  
"Someday, maybe," Tommy sighs, "when someone like me is no longer needed. When Power Rangers are no longer needed, then I will consider retiring."  
  
"Bro, I hope that day comes soon," David says emphatically.  
  
"So do I," Tommy says.  
  
In yet another dimension.  
  
"Hey dad," Videl Son says, giving her dad a hug. Hercule Satan looks down at his daughter lovingly.  
  
"Hey sweetpea," he says, "are you doing okay?"  
  
"Yea dad, I'm okay," Videl says. She gives her belly a rub. It was showing that she was in the later stages of pregnancy.  
  
"How's your husband?" Hercule says with slight distaste, yet respectful.  
  
"He's doing okay," Videl replies, "he's busy with his new job. He's working hard so he can provide for me and the baby."  
  
"That's good," Hercule says, "shows character. He knows tow of the richest people in the world and he insists on working to support himself."  
  
"He just wants to be the best he can be," Videl says, "he's even learning how to cook so I won't be overburdened with all the cooking like his mom is for his dad and little brother."  
  
"I remember how those guys can eat," Hercule says, "I still can't figure out where those Saiyans put all that food!"  
  
"Neither can Bulma, and she's known them the longest," Videl remarks with a smile, "and Chichi doesn't know either and she's had a bottomless pit for a husband and two other bottomless pits for sons."  
  
"I pity the woman," Hercule says, "having to cook and clean all day."  
  
"Dad, I don't know if I've said this or not, but you've changed in recent years," Videl says.  
  
"Well, after experiencing Majin Buu and all that followed after that, how could I not change?" Hercule asks.  
  
"Dad, wanna go out and get something to eat?" Videl asks, "you could put on a wig to disguise yourself so we don't get mobbed by fans."  
  
"Sure Videl, "Hercule says, "lets go."  
  
In yet one more dimension, a group of people sit around in the Guyana Highlands of South America.  
  
"Hey Domon!" George DeSand, Gundam Fighter of Neo France and Jack in Diamonds of the Shuffle Alliance, "come and help me gather the firewood!"  
  
"Why not ask Argo?" Domon Kasshu, Gundam Fighter for Neo Japan, winner of the 13th Gundam Fighter, and the current King of Hearts asks.  
  
"Because he an Nastasha are a little busy," Chibodee Crocket, Gundam Fighter for Neo America and current Queen of Spades says, pointing out to where their gigantic friend was.  
  
The tall Neo Russian Gundam Fighter, who also held the title of Black Joker, was currently lip-locked with his significant other, Nastasha.  
  
"Argo Gulski, you sly dog," the childish Sai Sici, master of the Shaolin Temple, Gundam Fighter for Neo China, and Club Ace, chuckles.  
  
"Domon, go and help George with the firewood," Domon's wife Rain says.  
  
"Okay Rain," Domon says, "I'll help him since you asked me to." He stands up and rushes to help George gather firewood for their dwindling fire.  
  
"Hey Domon!" a familiar feminine voice shouts.  
  
"Allenby?" Domon asks. Sure enough, the blue-haired Neo Switzerland Gundam Fighter was standing there.  
  
"Hey Allenby," Domon says, "whats up?"  
  
"Oh nothing," Allenby says, "I just came by to see how you were doing."  
  
"That's nice," Rain says, "why don't you join us?"  
  
"I'd love to," Allenby says and plops down on the ground besides Sai Sici.  
  
  
  
In a place between dimensions, a shrouded figure watches the various dimensions n holographic screens.  
  
"Yes, these fighters shall do quite well," the figure chuckles, "now, to bring them all here, to this place for the ultimate battle."  
  
Raising a hand, the figure presses a button on the side of the chair he was sitting in.  
  
"Computer, bring Ryu, Ken Masters, Chun Li Xiang, Akuma, Domon Kasshu, Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi, Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, Allenby Beardsley, Tommy Oliver, Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, and Hercule Satan here. Also, bring the corpse of Johnny Cage and reanimate it."  
  
One by one, the sixteen chosen fighters disappear in a flash of light, each reappearing in their own separate rooms.  
  
The shrouded figure picks up an intercom microphone and speaks into it.  
  
"Greetings, fighters," the figure says almost cheerily, "the sixteen of you have been chosen to fight in a tournament like no other you have ever been in. And the prize is well worth it. The winner gets to name one wish and it will be fulfilled. You can even bring someone back from the dead if you want. I am not bound by the rules of anyone you have ever met, so I am able to do whatever I want. Rest well tonight. Tomorrow, you shall fight. Oh, and there will be no carrying out of grudges while you are here or you will be killed immediately."  
  
~~  
  
How is that for a first chapter? Not great, I know, but I don't think its horrible. I saw a concept like this on MediaMiner.org, but I had already started writing this story before I saw it. I'll try to write each entire round in each chapter. But doing this will make some of the chapters, particularly the next chapter, exceedingly long. 


	2. Chapter Two: The First Round, First Four...

The next day, fifteen of the sixteen selected fighters gather in a large room.  
  
"What is going on?" Akuma demands, "if I do not get answers soon, I shall kill whoever is responsible for bringing me here."  
  
"Man, that guy is giving off some powerful evil vibes," Andy murmurs to his brother.  
  
"No kidding," Terry says, flinching, "its not like anything I've ever felt before. Its so twisted, I don't think he's even human."  
  
"What about that guy with the long brown hair?" Joe whispers, indicating Tommy Oliver, "I'm hardly feeling any chi vibes from him, but I am detecting something else that just seems completely benevolent."  
  
"I agree," Andy says, "he seems to be the most pure among those here. But there is something different about him."  
  
"Greetings, fighters," a loud booming voice says, "welcome to the Tournament of Warriors. Every one of you is a Warrior with great power. All but one of you is pure and true, a noble Warrior. All of you do possess a deep sense of honor. Now, I shall announce the match-ups for the First Round. And just to show you that it is all fair, I shall draw the names before you."  
  
The shrouded figure appears with a box.  
  
"In this box is a slip of paper with a number on it. You will each draw number. The number will determine which match you are in and who your opponent be. Numbers One and two are the first match. Three and four are the second match. Five and six are match three. Seven and eight make up match four. Nine and ten make up match five. Eleven and twelve make up match six. Thirteen and fourteen make up match seven. And Fifteen and sixteen make up the final match, match eight. Oh, and the sixteen of you are from several different dimensions, different realities."  
  
"I'll go first," Hercule declares loudly, "I'm the World Champion of Martial Arts where I'm from."  
  
"What an amateur," Terry mumbles.  
  
"I agree," Ken says, "even I'm not that arrogant."  
  
"I dunno," Chun Li says, "he reminds me of a dark haired, muscle-bound you."  
  
"Hey!" Ken protests, "am I really that bad?"  
  
Hercule reaches into the box and draws a number. "Yeah, Number two! I'm the first match."  
  
"Yes, congratulations Hercule Satan," the shrouded figure says, "next!"  
  
"Um, I guess I'll go next," Tommy says, "though I really don't know why I'm here."  
  
"All will be made clear in time," the shrouded figure says.  
  
Tommy walks up to the box and draws a number. "I've drawn number six. Guess I'm in the third match."  
  
"Very good, Tommy Oliver," the shrouded figure says, "Joe Higashi, you are next."  
  
Joe cockily walks up to the box and promptly draws a number. "Number three, huh? Guess I'm in the second match."  
  
"Ryo Sakazaki, you shall draw a number next," the figure says.  
  
Ryo walks up to the box and calmly draws his number. "I'm number four. Guess I'm fighting you Joe."  
  
"Looks like you're gonna get pounded by me," Joe says airily.  
  
"Terry Bogard, you are next," the figure says.  
  
Terry walks up to the box businesslike and draws his number. "Number one. How quaint."  
  
"Guess your facing me kid," Hercule says.  
  
"Ryu, you are next," the figure says.  
  
Ryu walks up to the box and draws his number. He could feel the hatred Akuma had for him on his back. "Number Fifteen. Guess I'm in the last match."  
  
"Chun Li Xiang, you are next," the figure says.  
  
Chun Li walks up to the box and draws her number. "I drew number fourteen."  
  
"You are in the seventh match," the figure says, "Domon Kasshu, you are next."  
  
Domon walks up to the box and draws his number. "Hmm, number seven."  
  
"Then you are in the fourth match," the figure says, "Ken Masters, you are next."  
  
Ken cockily walks up to the box. "Hope I get number sixteen, Ryu. That way we can finally decide which of us is better."  
  
"Just draw your number Ken," Ryu replies, "worry about facing me later."  
  
Ken reaches into the box and pulls out a number. "I drew number five. Guess I'm facing the kid."  
  
"I am not a kid," Tommy replies, "I've faced things you can't even imagine."  
  
"Sure you have kid," Ken says.  
  
"Its true," the figure says, "Tommy here is a hero in his dimension. He was once part of a fighting force that repelled, on many occasion, various alien armies. He's been to other worlds and even been turned evil by magic spells and nearly killed those he later went on to protect. Among those who took up the mantle of the Power Rangers, as the team of superheroes he was a part of was called, he is a legend."  
  
"I wouldn't say legend, but I have faced many threats to the Earth and repelled them," Tommy replies.  
  
"You must be stronger than you look then," Terry says, "I can hardly sense any energy coming from you."  
  
"Well, we used special transformation devices called Morphers to don a kind of nearly impenetrable armor," Tommy says.  
  
"That explains that energy I do sense from you then," Andy says.  
  
"Andy Bogard, you are next," the shrouded figure says.  
  
Andy walks up to the box and draws his number. "I drew number twelve. That puts me in the sixth match."  
  
"Liu Kang, champion of the Earth Realm in the Mortal Kombat Tournament, you are next," the figure says.  
  
Liu walks up to the box and draws his number. "I drew number eleven. Guess I'm fighting in the sixth match as well."  
  
"Sonya Blade, you are next," the figure says.  
  
"Draw a good number Sonya," Liu says.  
  
"Its not like any of these boys can beat me," Sonya says.  
  
Liu raises an eyebrow. "Sonya, each of these guys are supposed to be the best in their dimension."  
  
"Yeah yeah," Sonya says as she draws her number, "I drew number nine. That puts me in match five, I think."  
  
"It does," the figure says, "Robert Garcia, you are next."  
  
Robert walks up to the box and draws his number quickly. "I drew number ten. Guess I'm fighting the overconfident woman."  
  
"Watch it," Sonya says threateningly.  
  
"Silence your bickering," the figure says, "Allenby Beardsley, you are next."  
  
Allenby skips to the box and draws her number. When she sees what number she drew, she giggles and tosses it to Domon. "Take a look at that Domon!"  
  
"Wow, you drew number eight, Allenby," Domons ays, "looks like we'll be able to finally have that honest match we wanted."  
  
"You got it Domon," Allenby says, winking at him.  
  
"Akuma, you are next," the figure says, interrupting Domon and Allenby.  
  
Akuma confidently walks up to the box and draws his number. Upon seeing it, he smirks at Ryu. "Looks like you're gonna get your chance at revenge, boy. I drew number sixteen."  
  
"No way!" Ken yells, "this is too much. Ryu and Akuma in the first round? Oh man, that is gonna be one hell of a match."  
  
"They rivals?" Ryo asks.  
  
"Worse," Chun Li says, "Akuma killed the man who taught Ryu and Ken martial arts. He was also the man's brother."  
  
"Then I hope the ring can contain their fight," Tommy says, "I've had a few enemies that I hated that much."  
  
"And for our final opponent," the figure says, "it has taken me a little while to prepare this, but I feel that it will be well worth it. Will you come out now?"  
  
Out of the shadows, a man walks out. It is Johnny Cage.  
  
"Johnny!" Sonya gasps. Liu gapes at his fallen friend. Sonya runs up to Johnny and hugs him hard.  
  
"They dating?" Tommy asks Liu calmly.  
  
"Never had a chance to," Liu replies, "as soon as I won the Mortal Kombat Tournament, our realm was invaded by Shao Khan. Johnny tried to fight him, but Shao Khan killed him without mercy."  
  
"Then this guy does have the power to bring back the dead," Ryu says softly.  
  
"Ryu, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ken asks.  
  
"Bring back Gokun if one of us wins?" Ryu asks.  
  
"You got it," Ken says.  
  
"Johnny Cage, please go through the formalities and draw your number," the shrouded figure says.  
  
"Don't worry," Johnny says, being his usual cocky self, "I'll win this thing and return with you Sonya."  
  
Johnny walks up to the box and draws number thirteen, putting him in the match with Chun Li.  
  
"Now, would all of you please follow me," the shrouded figure asks, "I shall show you where you will be fighting."  
  
He leads them through a series of corridors to a tournament ring.  
  
"Hercule, I am sure you recognize this set-up," the figure says, "I based it on the Tenkaichi Budoukai that you are the 'champion' of."  
  
"Guess you know a good thing when you see it," Hercule says boastfully.  
  
"Terry, please knock this guy out so we won't have to listen to his boasts any more," Joe Higashi says, a pained expression in his voice.  
  
"Don't worry, I will," Terry says.  
  
"Terry Bogard and Hercule Satan, you are up first," the shrouded figure says as it takes flight and floats over to a throne-like chair.  
  
"Terry Bogard, enter the ring," the figure says, "now, I shall explain a bit about Terry Bogard for those of you who do not know him. Terry is a master martial artist, having defeated Geese Howard, the so-called 'Master of South Town'. He has also defeated Wolfgang Krauser, a very lethal, very dangerous mountain of a man."  
  
Terry enters the ring.  
  
"Hercule Satan, enter the ring," the figure says, "now, I shall explain a bit about Hercule. Hercule is the World Champion of Martial arts in his world. However, he is far from the strongest person on his planet. Several of the strongest beings in his universe live on his planet. Most of them were born on his planet. In fact, his son-in-law is the single strongest person in the universe. In any of the universes that you come from. But Hercule himself has his strong points. During the rampant destruction of a monster called Majin Buu, he took it upon himself to try and stop him even though he knew there was a very good chance that he would die. First he tried feeding Buu chocolates made with a very large amount of cyanide. Then he tried a hand-held video game made of plastic explosives. In the end, he just talked with Buu and convinced him to stop killing people. Of course, by then Buu had killed a third of the Earth's population."  
  
"Yeah, but in the end it didn't work," Hercule says, "a bad guy killed the puppy Buu had taken a liking too and almost killed me as well. He expelled the evil within him. But the evil took on a physical shape and the two started fighting. Unfortunately, the evil Buu won. He absorbed the good Buu and became far more powerful."  
  
The shrouded figure continues. "In the end, the father of Hercule's son-in- law and his rival joined together in a technique called Fusion and became a far more powerful warrior. How they defeated him is a mystery to me, but in the end they won."  
  
"How far is Hercule from being the strongest on his planet?" Tommy asks curiously.  
  
"A lot closer than you are, Tommy," the shrouded figure says, "he is a match for all of the warriors here. However, he has no clue how to manipulate his life force, his chi. So he is limited to what he can do."  
  
"I'll admit I'm limited, but I'm still the best normal human fighter on my planet," Hercule says.  
  
"Now that's a sad thought," Ken chuckles softly.  
  
"Now, I shall explain the rules for all of you," the shrouded figure begins, "first, if you are knocked out, knocked out of the ring, or give up then you lose. You also lose if you die. Don't worry, I'll return you to life if you do die. In fact, it will be done before the next match so you can observe and cheer people on if you wish it. There is no time limit, and no limit to arsenal. There are a few more restrictions for you, Tommy, but I shall explain them before your match."  
  
"Now, begin!" A gong sounds and Terry and Hercule drop into their respective fighting stances.  
  
Terry launches himself into the air, his right fist raised with energy gathering around it.  
  
"Power Dunk!" he calls out, slamming his fist into the ring where Hercule had been just a moment ago. The tiles that made up the ring floor cracked and some shattered under the force of the blow.  
  
'Oh man, this guy is a lot stronger than he looks,' Hercule thinks in a panic, 'but that guy says that we are all still fairly evenly matched.'  
  
"Dynamite Kick!" Hercule yells. He launches himself into his trademark Flying Kick. Videl had taught him a tiny bit about how to use his chi energy. He now used that knowledge to increase the strength of his Dynamite Kick.  
  
"Crack Shot!" Terry yells, flipping forward with his right foot outstretched and blazing with his chi power. The two attacks collide in a small explosion of power. When the flash of light clears, both fighters are standing, glaring at each other fiercely.  
  
"Not bad kid," Hercule says, "got any more tricks to try on me?"  
  
"Oh yeah," Terry says, slamming his fist to the ground, "Power Wave!"  
  
A streak of blue-white energy flows along the ground towards Hercule. Hercule leaps out of the attacks way and rolls back to his feet.  
  
"Sorry I asked," Hercule mumbles as he gets back to his feet, wary of his opponent.  
  
"That's just the beginning," Terry says as he pulls back his right fist and gathers energy, "Burn Knuckle!"  
  
Terry leaps at Hercule, his glowing blue fist charged with power. Hercule, who had not been expecting something like this, was taken by surprise and takes the attack full in the chest. He goes flying, hitting the ground outside the ring.  
  
"And Terry Bogard is the winner," the shrouded figure says, "winning technique, Burn Knuckle."  
  
Terry walks out of the ring and helps Hercule back to his feet.  
  
"That was a nice move, kid," Hercule says, "good luck in the rest of the tournament."  
  
"Thanks," Terry says, "you were a decent opponent."  
  
"Now for the next match!" the shrouded figure booms, "Joe Higashi Vs. Ryo Sakazaki."  
  
"This should be a good match," Robert says, "neither of these two have fought each other, but they've watched each other fight in several matches. They know each others style, even if they haven't personally fought against it."  
  
"Joe Higashi, step into the ring," the shrouded figure says.  
  
Joe Higashi steps into the ring.  
  
"Joe Higashi is a Mauy Thai kickboxing champion," the shrouded figure begins, "his skill is sure, and his ego is large. But his heart is always in the right place and has fought evil men many times. Now, Ryo Sakazaki, step into the ring."  
  
Ryo steps into the ring and bows, first to the shrouded figure then to the other fighters.  
  
"Ryo Sakazaki is a martial artist who fought in South Town to rescue his sister," the shrouded figure begins, "he is a great and honorable warrior whose courage is all but unmatched."  
  
"Now, ready and fight!" A gong sounds and Joe immediately launches into a flurry of kicks and punches.  
  
Ryo alternates between dodging and blocking the kicks and punches and finally counters with a Deep Upper Cut. He launches himself into the air, his right fist connecting to Joe's jaw.  
  
Joe quickly counters with a kick to Ryo's thigh. He follows up with a uppercut to Ryo's gut, then spins around and backhands him to the ground.  
  
"Had enough?" Joe asks cockily.  
  
"Not quite," Ryo says, launching himself at Joe.  
  
"Hienshipuu Kick!" Ryo's right foot charges with chi energy just before it connects with Joe's chest. He then drops to the ground, pivots on his right foot and connects with a kick to Joe's jaw. Joe drops to the ground with a thud.  
  
"Hmm, apparently they were far more unevenly matched than I thought," Robert muses.  
  
"Yep," Terry agrees, "I can't wait to have a match with him."  
  
"Think you can beat him Terry?" Andy asks.  
  
"Maybe, maybe not," Terry replies, "we've always been fairly evenly matched."  
  
"Well, today you're gonna find out who is stronger," Robert says, "I can hardly wait to see that match."  
  
"Well, you're gonna have to wait," Ken says, "because my match is up next."  
  
"Ken Masters, step into the ring," the shrouded figure says after Ryo helps Joe to his feet and out of the ring.  
  
Ken walks into the ring and bows to the watching fighters and the shrouded figure.  
  
"Ken Masters is one of the two students of the Shotokan School of Karate," the shrouded figure begins, "he follows the Yang path, which focuses on the body. His training partner was Ryu. His sensei, Gokun, was killed by Akuma, whom Ryu will be facing in the final match of the first round. Ken is a master of the Flaming Dragon Punch. He can also perform the fireball of the Shotokan School, known as the Hadouken."  
  
"Tommy Oliver, step into the ring," the shrouded figure says.  
  
Tommy steps into the ring, cautious of what could happen. He knew he was nowhere near the level of any of the other fighters present. Morphed, he might stand a chance, but unmorphed he would get creamed.  
  
"Tommy Oliver, you were once the Green Morphin Ranger," the shrouded figure begins, "then your powers were stolen by the witch Rita Replusa who gave them to you in the first place to destroy the other Power Rangers. Later, they were temporarily recharged so you could retrieve the other Power Coins. But your powers could not be restored and they were eventually drained for good. Then your mentor, Zordon of Eltare, called you back to action by making you the White Morphin Ranger and the new leader of the team. Eventually, though, Rita's father Master Vile turned back time and made your powers null, along with those of the other five Rangers. Then you went on a quest for a Zeo Sub-crystal. You obtained it. When time was restored, you and four others became the Zeo Rangers and fought the Machine Empire. You eventually defeated them with the help of Trey of Triforia, the Gold Ranger. Then the space pirate Divatox came along and you traded in the Zeo Powers for the Turbo Powers. However, by then you were about to graduate from high school and would have to go on with the rest of your life. However, you have longed for the thrill of battle once again, haven't you?"  
  
Tommy nods.  
  
"But not as the Red Turbo Ranger or the Red Zeo Ranger or even the White Morphin Ranger," the shrouded figure continues, "but as the Green Morphin Ranger. Am I right?"  
  
"I could never do enough good as the Green Ranger to absolve myself of the atrocities that I committed while being Rita's Evil Green Ranger," Tommy says, his voice hard, "and no one ever knew that the Green Morphin Ranger, White Morphin Ranger, Red Zeo Ranger, or the first Red Turbo Ranger were the same person. In fact, a lot of people didn't even know that the Power Rangers were human until the Astro team morphed in the final battle with Astronema's forces in front of all of the citizens of Angel Grove."  
  
"But you wish to return to being the Green Morphin Ranger, where you felt the most complete," the shrouded figure says, "and you shall. You are not at the level of any of these other fighters, not even Hercule. However, you can prove to be a match for them while morphed. However, you no longer have any of the various morphers that you have used except for the almost- powerful Green Power Coin. I shall return it to full power."  
  
With that, emerald green lightning shoots from one of the hands of the figure and hits the amulet Tommy wore around his neck. He had long ago given the arrowhead that had brought him and his brother together to his brother and he now kept the last remaining Power Coin with him as a reminder of his first days as one of the Power Rangers, the greatest heroes in his galaxy.  
  
As the lightning fades, the Power Coin begins to glow. Tommy takes it out of its little case and holds it in his right hand. A Morpher appears around the coin.  
  
"Its Morphin Time!" Tommy calls out, holding the Morpher up, "Dragonzord!"  
  
In a flash of emerald colored light, Tommy is glad in emerald green spandex. Golden armor covers his chest and shoulders and to those who could sense chi, it was radiating a field around the now morphed Green Morphin Ranger.  
  
Tommy reaches for the clasps on the side of his helmet, flips them, and removes his helmet. "Wow. This is great. This feeling- the power I feel coursing through me is so familiar. I feel stronger than I ever have before, even when I was Rita's Evil Green Ranger and she gave me command over various powers of magic."  
  
"Your Coin has been fully re-powered," the shrouded figure says, "this charge is not temporary. It is now permanent, and will not leave you even if you do not win this tournament."  
  
"I feel like I could take on Mondo, Gasket, Rita, Zedd, Divatox, and the dark Specter all on my own right now," Tommy says.  
  
"You probably can," the shrouded figure says, though you could tell they were smiling, "all of the various powers you still wield have been combined. The only difference will be the weapons at your disposal which will vary between which costume you wear. And that in turn will be determined by which mode of morphing you use. To morph into the White Morphin Ranger, simply focus on an image of the White Ranger when you morph with the Power Coin."  
  
"I don't know what to say," Tommy says, "thank you."  
  
"Now, you cannot use your Dragon Dagger or a Blade Blaster in blade mode," the shrouded figure says, "and you may not wear your helmet either. It offers too much protection and it would be fair. If you can will away your Dragon Shield, then do so."  
  
"Sure," Tommy says, and with a flash of gold sparkles the Dragon Shield disappears, revealing the white diamonds of his costume.  
  
"Now, other than the restrictions of I have mentioned, there is nothing else," the shrouded figure says, "you may begin.  
  
The gong sounds and the two fighters launch themselves against each other. Tommy attacks with a flying kick while Ken counters with a Flaming Dragon Punch. The attack causes an eruption of sparks from Tommy's costume as the defense fields absorb a good amount of the blows.  
  
Tommy quickly recovers and draws his Blade Blaster.  
  
"Whoa!" Ken yells as he leaps out of the way, "what is that? A laser gun?"  
  
"Yep," Tommy says, holstering the Blade Blaster, "but I'm not gonna use it unless I need to."  
  
With that, he launches into a flurry of punches and kicks that takes Ken by surprise, but not for long. Ken retaliates swiftly.  
  
"Tatsumaki-Senpukyaku!" Ken yells as he leaps into the air and performs the Hurricane Kick. Several kicks come in contact with Tommy's jaw and chest as he is caught up in the attack.  
  
As the attack ends, Tommy struggles back to his feet.  
  
"You've got guts," Ken tells Tommy, "but you are way out of your league."  
  
Tommy grits his teeth as he gets back to his feet. "I think it's the other way around, my friend. I've fought monsters taller than most skyscrapers, seen a planet explode, fought a giant battle machine at least three times as tall as the Eiffel Tower, and fought a gold-armored monkey with wings. I think you're the one who is out of their league. I've even faced the evil in myself and defeated it."  
  
"That's a long list of boasting," Ken says, "but I still say your out of your league. Prove me wrong by beating me and then I'll consider how valid your words are."  
  
"Suit yourself man," Tommy says as he summons energy within himself, "I haven't done what I'm about to do since I was evil and in Rita's control, but I'm gonna try it anyway."  
  
Green lightning bolts begin to spark around his gloved hands as he moves them in front of his chest and positions them like an open clam.  
  
Realizing that he may be in trouble, Ken powers up a Hadouken. Moving his arms to his side, Ken gathers his chi energy between his palms, then moves them forward.  
  
"Hadouken!" Ken throws his fireball at Tommy in hopes of stopping the attack.  
  
But it was too late. Tommy launches a ball of green energy with a core of whitish-green. The two attacks collide, but Tommy's energy ball blows away Ken's Hadouken and slams into Ken's chest, throwing him out of the ring and into a wall.  
  
"And it appears that mister Oliver is the winner of this match," the shrouded figure says.  
  
Ken, Chun Li, and even Akuma were speechless at the level of power that Tommy had just demonstrated. Everyone else was unable to say anything because they didn't really know of Ken's level of power or skill. Ken couldn't say anything because he was unconscious.  
  
"Nice fight kid," Robert says as Tommy steps out of the ring.  
  
"Thanks," Tommy replies, "I haven't been in a real fight in nearly three years. I've barely kept in shape, what with driving on my uncle's racing team."  
  
"You a race car driver?" Joe asks.  
  
"Yeah, but I'm not exceptional," Tommy answers, "my uncle says I'm a natural, but that's only because the Zords, those are the battle machines we would use to fight the skyscraper-sized monsters, were designed after vehicles and my Zord was a race car. The powers tell us how to use everything in our arsenal and that knowledge never leaves us. I could be a fighter pilot if I had a mind to."  
  
"Hey Domon, our fight is next!" Allenby says cheerily.  
  
"How can a little girl be so anxious to fight?" Chun Li asks.  
  
"What about Sakura?" Ryu asks, "she's just as eager for a fight."  
  
"Point taken," Chun Li replies, "but I still think its not right."  
  
"Next up is Domon Kasshu versus Allenby Beardsley," the shrouded figure says, "Domon Kasshu, step into the ring."  
  
Domon removes his cloak and walks into the ring.  
  
"Domon Kasshu is the Gundam Fighter for his nation, Neo Japan," the shrouded figure begins, "He piloted first the Shining Gundam and then the God Gundam. A Gundam Fighter represents his or her nation in the annual Gundam Fight. The Gundam Fight is fought for the sovereign right to rule the Earth. It is a much better concept that all-out war, even if it is barbaric. Battles are fought in giant battle machines called Gundams. Tommy would be a bit familiar with the way they are controlled. It is similar to the way he controlled the Tigerzord and the Red Battlezord."  
  
"You mean telepathy?" Tommy asks.  
  
"Similar, but not completely," the shrouded figure replies, "their movements are observed by computers in their Gundams and the Gundam mimics them."  
  
"One of my fellow Gundam Fighters, Sai Sici, made the mistake of picking his nose while the Mobile Trace System was online," Domon chuckles, "his Gundam mimicked his movements."  
  
The assorted fighters quickly picked up what Domon meant and chuckle.  
  
"Domon is the King of Hearts, the best martial artist in his world," the shrouded figure continues, "he even defeated the evil Devil Gundam with the help of his wife. He has earned the respect and admiration of all of his fellow Gundam Fighters. Every Gundam Fighter joined in the operation to save the Earth from the ravages of the Devil Gundam, following Domon's lead. He was trained by the previous winner of the Gundam Fight, Master Asia, a man who at that time had no equal in all of the Earth and the colonies. Domon was trained to be a fighter and to communicate with his fists from the time he was a small child. Upon his return to his home colony after training, he found out that his mother had been killed, his father imprisoned in cryogenic suspension, and his brother had taken the Devil Gundam. He later learned that his brother was innocent and it was all a plan by a man called Ulube to try and take over the universe. Needless to say he failed and he failed miserably, paying with his life. As the King of Hearts, Domon is not only the best martial artist in both Earth and the colonies and is the leader of the Shuffle Alliance. The Shuffle Alliance had guided warfare throughout human history. They really came into their own when the Gundam Fight was established. It made governing warfare much simpler. The other four positions of the Shuffle Alliance are Club Ace, which is held by Sai Sici. There is Jack in Diamonds, held by the honorable George de Sand. There is the position of Queen of Spades, held by Chibodee Crocket. And finally there is the Black Joker, who is the physically intimidating and powerful Argo Gulski. Together, these five fighters are virtually invincible, as the Shuffle Alliance always has been. Now, Allenby Beardsley step into the ring."  
  
Allenby does not step into the ring. Instead, she skips into the ring.  
  
"Allenby was the Gundam Fighter for Neo Switzerland and piloted the Nobel Gundam in the Gundam Fight," the shrouded figure begins, "like Domon, she was trained to be her nation's Gundam Fighter since she was a small child. Her nation used a system called the Berserker System to take away all of her thoughts except for defeating her opponent. She was all but invincible. But she met her match in Domon Kasshu. He didn't even have to enter into his Hyper Mode to equal her ability in battle because her soul wasn't in her fists. She led the counter-offensive against the Devil Gundam and fought valiantly. She won Domon and the other members of the Shuffle Alliance time to defeat the Devil Gundam. Now, prepare to fight."  
  
"Good luck Allenby," Domon says.  
  
"Same to you Domon," Allenby says.  
  
"Gundam Fight!" Domon says seriously as he ducks into a fighters crouch.  
  
"Ready!" Allenby says as she crouches.  
  
"Go!" Domon yells just as the gong sounds. 


	3. Chapter Three: The First Round, Last Fou...

Instantly, Domon and Allenby are trading punches, their fists moving almost too fast for the eye to see. Most of the assembled fighters could only see a blur. Ryu, Akuma, and Terry could vaguely follow their fists and feet as the two fighters moved.  
  
Domon jumps back as energy begins to focus in his hand. Allenby immediately knew what he was going for.  
  
"Exploding God Finger!" Domon yells as he tries to grab Allenby's stomach. But Allenby was ready for the move and flips over Domon, using his fist as a springboard.  
  
"How typical Domon," Allenby giggles, "I've seen you use that move countless times and I've helped you train. Except for Sai Sici, I'm the only person you've ever had to fight to a standstill in skill."  
  
"Too true Allenby, but you also know you very well as well," Domon replies with a grin, "we've studied each others moves very well."  
  
With that, Domon launches himself into another flurry of fists at Allenby, who responds by blocking each strike and countering with her own flurry of fists.  
  
"How can they possibly move that fast?" Tommy whispers.  
  
"They are exceptionally fast," Ryu says, "and their technique is flawless. They are true fighters."  
  
"They could not possibly compare to the two of us Ryu," Akuma growls, "their skill is exceptional, to be sure, but they are limited to basic energy projection."  
  
"Sekihah Tekihoken!" Domon yells, launching a swirling green-yellow energy blast at Allenby. The blast hits her dead on and throws her out of the ring and onto the ground.  
  
"Then again, even I can be wrong sometimes," Akuma muses darkly.  
  
"And the winner is Domon Kasshu," the shrouded figure says, "congratulations on a hard fought victory. It must have been hard to use such a powerful technique against a close friend."  
  
"We both knew what we were getting into in this fight," Domon says as he replaces his cloak, "and she's not hurt as bad as you might think."  
  
Indeed, Allenby was already back on her feet, chipper as usual.  
  
"Great fight Domon," she cheers, "good luck in the rest of your matches."  
  
"Thanks Allenby," Domon says.  
  
"Now for the next match," the shrouded figure says, "Sonya Blade versus Robert Garcia. Sonya Blade, step into the ring."  
  
Sonya walks into the ring, unsure but confident.  
  
"Sonya Blade is a member of Special Forces, an international cover military organization that hunts down bigtime criminals," the shrouded figure begins, "she was hunting down a man name Kano when she was taken aboard the ship leaving for the Mortal Kombat Tournament. Once in Outworld, she was forced to participate in the tournament in hopes of fighting Kano. She did, and she defeated him soundly. She was kidnapped by the sorcerer Shang Tsung after Johnny Cage defeated the reigning champion Goro. In the end, she was rescued by the combined efforts of Liu Kang, Johnny cage, and Princess Kitana of Edenia. She is a highly skilled combatant and not to be taken lightly. Now, Robert Garcia step forward."  
  
Robert walks into the ring, confident in himself.  
  
"Robert Garcia is a friend and rival of Ryo Sakazaki," the shrouded figure says, "his skills are a near match for Ryo's, as are his techniques. Now, you may begin the fight."  
  
Robert and Sonya bow to each other, their eyes never leaving the other. Then they bow to the shrouded figure and then the other fighters. Sonya catches a glance of Johnny giving her a thumbs-up.  
  
The two fighters return to facing each other and enter their respective fighting stances.  
  
The gong sounds, beginning the match.  
  
Robert charges energy between his hands in front of his chest then swings his right arm back and around and throws a Ryugeki-ken at Sonya, who promptly dodges the chi ball.  
  
Sonya runs at Robert and leaps on him, wrapping her legs around his neck and flips him, making sure his head slams against the concrete ring. She rolls forward and gets to her feet, ready for retaliation.  
  
But she wasn't ready for what did happen. Robert launches himself at Sonya, his left foot charged with his chi energy.  
  
"Hienshipuu Kick!" Robert yells as the foot connects with Sonya's torso. He twists midair and back kicks her with his right foot. Sonya goes flying, though not quite out of the ring.  
  
"This ring is much smaller than the one I fought on to win my championship," Hercule muses, "but it is about the same size as the ring was before I started competing."  
  
Sonya groggily gets back to her feet.  
  
"So, Sonya, you gonna give up?" Robert asks courteously, "it will save you a lot of pain."  
  
"Forget it," Sonya hisses through grit teeth, "I never give up."  
  
"You might wanna reconsider such a philosophy," Robert says as he leaps into the air.  
  
He lands right beside Sonya and begins a flurry of kicks. Unable to block or do anything, Robert's kicks begin to lift her into the air.  
  
"Robert's Genei Kick," Ryo mutters, "he's fighting seriously. He's not taking her lightly because she's a woman. Then again, we've faced some pretty tough women before."  
  
"Women are tougher than most men give them credit for being," Chun Li declares.  
  
"Yeah, but so far all of the women in this tournament have lost," Johnny Cage says.  
  
"The girl with the blue hair is a girl, a teenager," Chun Li retorts, "not a woman. And Sonya has not lost yet."  
  
"She's about to," Ryo says, "Robert's Genei Kick is devastating unless you're prepared for it."  
  
Robert finishes his move with a powerful kick to Sonya's jaw. She goes flying but lands inside of the ring but doesn't move.  
  
"Is she dead?" Johnny asks, worried.  
  
"No, she's not dead," Ken says, "but I don't think she's conscious."  
  
The shrouded figure begins to count. "1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10! And Robert Garcia has won this match and will move on to the Quarter Finals where his opponent will be determined with this next match."  
  
"I'm in the next match," Liu Kang says.  
  
"And I am your opponent," Andy Bogard says.  
  
"I look forward to this match then," Liu says.  
  
"Good luck Andy," Terry says.  
  
"Yeah, good luck man," Joe adds.  
  
"Thanks guys," Andy says, "I'll do my best."  
  
"The next match is between Liu Kang and Andy Bogard," the shrouded figure says, "Liu Kang, step into the ring."  
  
Liu walks into the ring calmly, yet cautiously. He bows to the shrouded figure in a gesture of respect.  
  
"Liu Kang is regarded as the best fighter in his world, the Earth Realm," the shrouded figure begins, "he defeated the Necromancy Sorcerer Shang Tsung. This in and of itself was noteworthy, but he also defeated the entire legion of souls that Shang Tsung had trapped in bondage. Shang Tsung was a mighty Necromancer. He had the ability to rip the soul right out of a fighter and add their power to their own. Akuma has a similar technique."  
  
Akuma glares at the shrouded figure, but says nothing.  
  
"Liu not only defeated the sorcerer, but he defeated him without getting hit himself, a flawless victory," the shrouded figure continues, ignoring Akuma's glare as if it didn't even exist., "he has mastered many powerful techniques. He is a formidable fighter. Now, Andy Bogard, please step into the ring."  
  
Andy Bogard does so and bows first to the shrouded figure, then to Liu, then finally to the other fighters.  
  
"Andy Bogard is Terry's younger brother," the shrouded figure says, "his skill as a fighter is great. He is constantly training to better himself and is quite dangerous if you threaten those he cares about. While not as proficient a fighter as his brother Terry, he nevertheless helped bring down Geese Howard. Now, the two of you may begin your match when the gong sounds."  
  
A moment later, the gong sounds and Andy and Liu drop into fighting stances.  
  
Liu launches himself into a flying kick, but it is blocked by Andy who counters with a Sho Ryu Dan, a move where he continuously spun around with energy arcing from his arms. But Liu quickly recovers.  
  
He raises his right leg and moves his arms together so that his palms were touching. A blast of fire erupts from his hands.  
  
Caught by surprise, Andy barely manages to duck out of the way. The attack singes away some of his hair.  
  
"Now that is a fireball," Ken chuckles, "a true blast of fire."  
  
"He actually uses fire, not just chi that simulates fire," Akuma says, "he will be a worthy opponent. I anxiously await fighting him."  
  
"That's only if you make it past me, butcher," Ryu growls.  
  
Akuma chuckles. "We shall see, boy."  
  
Liu charges at Andy with a bicycle kick, but Andy counters by focuses his chi out of his right palm into a blade. The attack catches Liu by surprise and cuts his stomach lightly.  
  
"Not bad," Liu says as he steps away from Andy warily, "but not good enough."  
  
With that, he prepares another fireball. But this time, he focuses more power into it.  
  
Sensing the danger, Andy dashes at his opponent, ready to launch into an all-out attack.  
  
But Liu takes Andy by surprise by ducking from the first punch and firing his fireball into Andy's stomach. The force of the blast knocks Andy against the arena's ceiling, creating an indenture the same shape as Andy. A moment later Andy falls to the ground.  
  
"Andy!" Terry cries out, rushing to his brother's side.  
  
"Liu Kang wins the match," the shrouded figure says, then raises a hand and points a finger at Andy's lifeless body. A thin beam of green-blue energy shoots forth from the finger and hits Andy's body.  
  
"Whats going on?" Tommy asks.  
  
"Well kid, if I didn't know better I'd say that that guy is healing the dead guy," Hercule replies, "bring him back to life."  
  
"You're right, he is bring him back to life," Johnny says, "see that aura surrounding the fallen fighter? I had that same aura around me when I awoke."  
  
"Johnny, what was it like, being dead?" Sonya asks.  
  
"I really don't remember," Johnny says, "I know I was in another place, but I can't recall any details."  
  
"The next match is between Johnny Cage and Chun Li Xiang," the shrouded figure says after he finishes healing Andy, "Johnny Cage, step into the ring."  
  
"Wish me luck," Johnny tells Sonya.  
  
"Good luck, you walking ego," Sonya says affectionately.  
  
"Good luck," Liu says, "I hope to face you in a future match."  
  
"Johnny Cage is a big-time Hollywood actor," the shrouded figure begins, "his skill at martial arts is also extraordinary. He defeated the reigning Mortal Kombat champion Goro in combat. He was alter killed by Shao Khan when he invaded the Earth Realm but has been brought back for this tournament. Now, Chun Li Xiang please step into the ring."  
  
Chun Li walks into the ring and faces Johnny, looking him square in the eye.  
  
"Chun Li is a member of Interpol and has been on the trail of a warlord by the name of M Bison for the death of her father many years ago," the shrouded figure begins, "she has trained all her life for revenge. She is also a part of the international organization known only as Street Fighter. She is one of the more active members of that organization. Ryu and Ken, two other competitors in this tournament, are also among the members that are called to action fairly often."  
  
"How does this guy know all of this?" Ryu asks Ken, "this is getting weird."  
  
"Now, you may begin the fight when the gong sounds," the shrouded figure says.  
  
Johnny and Chun Li both crouch into their fighting stances. The gong sounds and Chun Li launches into a devastating array of lightning fast kicks. Johnny blocks to the best of his ability but some kicks still land.  
  
Johnny leaps back then leaps at Chun Li. A greenish-black silhouette follows him. His right foot connects solidly with Chun Li's chest and sends her flying out of the ring.  
  
"Well, that was quick," Liu muses.  
  
"Indeed," Akuma agrees, "a very interesting technique."  
  
"That was Johnny's Shadow Kick," Sonya says, "its quite effective."  
  
"And the winner is Johnny Cage," the shrouded figure says, "the next match is the final match of the first round. Ryu versus Akuma. But before these two can fight, I must repair the ring."  
  
With that, the shrouded figure raises its right hand. A burst of greenish- white light erupts from the hand and bathes the ring. The cracked and shattered tiles recombine and become fresh, flawless tiles.  
  
"Now that the ring has been fixed, you may step into the ring Ryu," the shrouded figure says as he lowers his hand.  
  
Ryu steps into the ring.  
  
"Ryu is one of the students of the Shotokan School of Martial Arts," the shrouded figure begins, "he trained alongside Ken. Unlike Ken, who came naturally to the fighting, he had to work hard to gain the level of strength he has. He is one of the strongest fighters in his world, if not the strongest. This very match will determine who is the strongest. He has achieved high levels of energy projection. He could even tap into the power of the infamous Dark Hadou if he was of a mind to do so. Ryu may very well be the strongest person at this tournament. Now, step into the ring Akuma."  
  
As Akuma steps into the ring, he revels in the sense of feeling the burning gaze of Ryu and Ken on him.  
  
"Akuma was the brother and training partner of Ryu and Ken's sensei, Gokun, in the Shotokan School of Martial Arts," the shrouded figure begins, "he follows the Yang path, like Ken. He has achieved an incredible amount of power and has tapped into the power of the Dark Hadou to further boost his strength. He has even learned the infamous Raging Demon attack, which was banned from being taught to the students of the Shotokan School long ago. He is also among the most evil men you will ever face, but also one of the most honorable. But he only uses honor to get his opponents to fight at their absolute best."  
  
Ryu and Akuma both crouch into their respective fighting stances. The gong sounds and the two fighters leap at each other, fists flying.  
  
Akuma and Ryu both go all-out against each other. But they were perfectly equal.  
  
"You have improved," Akuma growls as he blocks a hard punch, "but you are not skilled enough or strong enough to defeat me!"  
  
With that, he leaps into the air. "Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku!" Akuma performs his Hurricane Kick which is accompanied lightning bolts arcing around his body.  
  
"Shouryuken!" Ryu counters by performing a Dragon Punch on Akuma. The force of the two attacks cancel each other out and the two fighters leap and re- enter their fighting stances.  
  
Akuma chuckles. "Not bad. You are a worthy opponent. You are a far better fighter than my brother was or ever could be."  
  
Ryu's eyes narrow. "Do not insult Sensei Gokun," he growls, "you should only focus on me, your opponent."  
  
"Do not presume to tell me how to fight!" Akuma snarls, "now fight me!"  
  
"Hadoulen!" Ryu throws the trademark chi attack of the Shotoken School of Martial Arts.  
  
"Foolish boy," Akuma chuckles, "Gou Hadouken!" Akuma counters with his dark version of the same attack. The two fireballs cancel each other out.  
  
"Tatsukmai Senpukyaku!" Ryu launches himself into the air and heads towards Akuma with his Hurricane Kick.  
  
"Gou Shouryken!" Akuma counters with a Dragon Punch, just like Ryu had countered his Tasumaki Zankuukyaku with his own Dragon Punch. And just like Ryu had done to him, Akuma knocks Ryu out of his attack.  
  
Ryu picks himself up after hitting the ground hard. He spits some blood out of his mouth.  
  
"You have a long way to go before you can defeat me in battle, boy," Akuma says, "now, do you wish to continue this match or will you surrender?"  
  
"I will destroy you, butcher," Ryu growls. His level of power begins to rise sharply. Akuma grins, not a comforting sight.  
  
"Uh oh," Ken mutters, "he's calling forth the Dark Hadou. Doesn't he realize that trying to beat Akuma by fighting like Akuma is to become him?"  
  
"Such terrible power," Terry gasps, "even Krauser did not feel this evil. Even Akuma does not have a power this twisted."  
  
Akuma pays close attention to the level of power Ryu demonstrates. For a brief moment, his face contorts in shock but he quickly regains his composure.  
  
"You are powerful," Akuma says respectfully, "but not powerful enough."  
  
Ryu does not bother to respond. His eyes begin to glow a demonic red.  
  
Akuma reaches into himself and draws forth the power of the Dark Hadou within himself. Waves of evil energy begin to radiate from both fighters.  
  
"This is incredible," Andys ays as he shields his eyes, "how can any two men have such evil power within them? How can any person have such power and be so evil?"  
  
"Ryu isn't evil," Ken says, "but he has an evil power within himself. It is the dark part of the Shotokan School of Martial Arts. Few people have such power within them. It is fueled by the rage they carry within themselves. It has all the subtlety and destructive force of a nuclear bomb. Ryu alone could obliterate everything in a large area on his own. Combine Akuma's power to that and you have an extreme overkill."  
  
Akuma and Ryu simultaneously fire a single sphere of pure evil chi. The two attacks collide and for a breif second time seems to stand still. Then the two attacks mingle and contort. A wind begins to blow. The two attacks begin to swirl and turn black.  
  
"Whats going on?" Chun Li asks.  
  
"I don't know," Ken admits, "the last time Ryu used the Dark Hadou against another Dark Hadou I was in no condition to observe what was going on."  
  
"They are creating some kind of vortex," Liu says, "it is fueled by the power of the two Dark Hadou's. As long as one of them is tapping into its power, it will draw everything into it."  
  
"RYU, CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Ken yells, "SNAP OUT OF IT MAN! YOU'RE GONNA GET US ALL KILLED!"  
  
But Ryu doesn't respond. He doesn't even look as if he heard Ken's desperate plea.  
  
"This is just like at the Cell games when Gohan tapped into his hidden strength to destroy Cell," Hercule says, definitely scared.  
  
"Who?" Johnny asks.  
  
"My son-in-law," Hercule replies, "he's the single strongest person in the universe. He could blow up an entire solar system with the flick of his wrist if he was of a mind to."  
  
"He's that strong?" Ken asks, amazed.  
  
"His dad is almost as strong and his dad's rival isn't far behind," Hercule replies.  
  
"Guess that explains why they weren't brought here," Liu says, "none of us would be a challenge to them."  
  
"My son-in-law's dad has beaten most of the major villains in the universe," Hercule replies, "and my son-in-law himself defeated a major villain many years ago. Back then I was an insensitive jerk and I took the credit for defeating Cell. I still have that credit, though I would gladly give him the credit if he asked for it. He's been through enough that he deserves it."  
  
"He doesn't want it?" Joe asks.  
  
"Apparently he just wants to be left alone and raise a family," Hercule replies, "and he's already on the way. My daughter is gonna have a baby in the next few months."  
  
The sphere in the middle of the ring explodes.  
  
"What happened?" Hercule demands.  
  
"Look at Ryu!" Ken exclaims, pointing to Ryu in the ring.  
  
Ryu was no longer glowing with an evil flame. His eyes, instead of the unholy red, were now blank and uncaring. His body language suggested that there was no life in him, but he didn't fall to the ground.  
  
"Wh- whats going on?" Hercule asks hesitantly.  
  
"Can't you feel it?" Terry asks, "his chi- there's nothing there at all! His body is alive, but there is no human life force in it!"  
  
"Is he dead?" Chun Li asks.  
  
"I'm not sure," Terry answers, "but if he is alive, then he'd better come to fast."  
  
"Enough of this," Akuma snarls, "I'm finishing this now."  
  
With a loud yell, Akuma begins to summon the power of the Raging Demon, the Shun Goku Satsu. His body takes on a purplish aura.  
  
"Shun Goku Satsu!" Akuma charges at Ryu, ready to pound him with the power of the Ragin Demon.  
  
~Within Ryu's mind~  
  
Ryu, wake up. The voice was almost familiar, but Ryu couldn't place it.  
  
Who's there? Ryu replies with what he thought would be his voice, but it sounded more like a thought.  
  
Ryu, my pupil, it is your sensei..  
  
Sensei Gokun? Ryu asks hesitantly.  
  
Yes, Ryu, it is I. Now you must listen. M brother is evil and must be stopped. Only you possess the abilities needed to defeat him. No one else at the tournament you are in has the ability. None can match him move for move because they do not know the style he fights in. Only you possess the power and skill to defeat him. But you must not use the Dark Hadou. If you use it to beat Akuma, you will become something worse than Akuma.  
  
Then what can I do, sensei? The Shun Goku Satsu is unbeatable. And he still has the power of the Dark Hadou.  
  
The Raging Demon is a powerful technique, yes, but it is not unbeatable. There was a technique developed to counter the Shun Goku Satsu. Only those who follow the Yin path of our school can utilize it properly. It is called the Shinkuu Tatsumaki Sempukyaku, the Super Hurricane Kick. Now, let your chi flow with mine. I never had a chance to use it against my brother, now did I have the power to pull it off without killing myself in the process. But you have both. Now, let our chi's flow within one another and I shall show you how to perform one of the ultimate moves of the Shotokan.  
  
It hits the senses of the fighters like a punch to the face. Ten seconds ago, no one could feel Ryu's chi. Now it was practically radiating pure power. Pure, untainted power.  
  
Ryu begins to lift off of the ground, spinning with his right leg straight out.  
  
"Shinkuu Tatsumaki Sempukyaku!" Ryu yells at the top of his lungs. White light begins to surround him and fierce wind begins to form within the space beneath him.  
  
But Akuma continues to rush into the attack. Or maybe he was too far into the attack to stop. Either way, he is caught in the attack. He is unable to hit Ryu at all, but Ryu's right leg connects several times with Akuma's chest and jaw. Teeth are broken at some of the impacts.  
  
Finally, the Shinkuu Tatsumaki Sempukyaku stops and Akuma is flung to the far end of the ring. Ryu sets down gracefully.  
  
He opens his eyes, looking right at Akuma and seemingly through him, as if he was looking straight into Akuma's black and twisted soul.  
  
Akuma stands up, shaky from the aftereffects of the attack.  
  
"What was that?" he hisses.  
  
"That was the Shinkuue Tatsumaki Sempukyaku," Ryu replies, "one of the ultimate techniques of the Shotokan School and it can only be used by one who follows the Yin path. It is an ancient technique. Sensei Gokun's spirit taught it to me."  
  
"My foolish brother taught you that from beyond the grave?" Akuma asks contemptuously.  
  
"He did," Ryu replies, "he taught me the potential for all of the ancient techniques of both paths. Ken and I both possess the potential to make your power seem like nothing next to ours. Now, let us finish this match."  
  
"Very well," Akuma says, summoning all of his power, "you shall feel my full strength this time boy."  
  
"Very well," Ryu says, reaching into the depths of his body and soul.  
  
"Messatsu Gou Hadou!" Akuma yells, launching a powerful stream of purple chi energy at Ryu.  
  
"Shinkuu Hadouken!" Ryu yells, launching his own powerful chi attack, this one blazing white. Both attacks have lightning bolts arcing around the beams.  
  
The two attacks collide and push at each other. Both fighters thrust all of their being into their attack. But try as each would, neither one was able to gain any sort of advantage  
  
"This is incredible," Hercule says, his voice a whisper, "I can feel them pushing their all into these attacks. Both will die if neither one can hold out longer than the other."  
  
"Ryu!" Ken yells.  
  
"Ryu!" Chun Li yells.  
  
"Their power is incredible," Domon says, "I don't think I could even compare to either of these fighters."  
  
"I don't think any of us can," Tommy says, "even I can feel their strength, and I knew nothing about chi power or anything like that before today."  
  
"Neither one has the upper hand," Ken says, "they are dead even. Akuma is even calling upon the power of the Dark Hadou and he is still merely equal to Ryu."  
  
"Ken, we both knew that only Ryu could defeat Akuma, if anyone," Chun Li says, "but seeing him actually matching Akuma strength for strength is a bit much."  
  
Gokun's voice resounds within Ryu's head. Ryu, give him your all. If you don't, you will lose.  
  
Ryu gives no response, but he begins to push himself harder, putting more and more of his strength into his attack.  
  
'This can't be!' Akuma thinks, 'his power equals my own, if not surpasses it! How can a mere boy possess such strength?'  
  
Ryu continues to push himself harder and harder, giving all of his strength to his attack. His only thought was the defeat Akuma, no matter what the cost to himself.  
  
Ryu's Shinkuu Hadouken pushes Akuma's Messatsu Gou Hadou back slowly. Bit by bit the Messatsu Gou Hadou was shoved back until only a few inches were left before the Shinkuu Hadouken would obliterate Akuma's hands.  
  
Akuma struggles to bring forth every single reserve he had within himself, but there wasn't enough. Ryu's Shinkuu Hadouken overtakes Akuma and disintegrates him.  
  
"Well fought, warrior," Akuma says and then he says so more. As the Shinkuu Hadouken dissipates, the fighters who could see through the blinding light see a few ashes float down to the ground. They were all that remained of the evil warrior Akuma.  
  
"And Ryu is the winner," the shrouded figure says, "congratulations on defeating your longtime nemesis."  
  
"Thank you," Ryu says, his voice emotionless. He walks solemnly out of the ring.  
  
"Hey Ryu!" Ken calls out, rushing over to his friend with Chun Li, "that was a great fight man. If I didn't know better, that match could be considered like having the final match in the first round."  
  
"It doesn't matter," Ryu deadpans.  
  
"Man, whats wrong?" Ken asks, "I mean, you were the one most adamant at beating Akuma. And now you're not celebrating after you finally defeated him?"  
  
"Ken, you don't get it!" Ryu yells, "Akuma should have been good, like Sensei Gokun and the two of us. But he was too tempted by the power. The training is supposed to bring the trainee's together to where they are as close as brothers. Sensei Gokun and Akuma were brothers by blood and the training drove them even further apart. Akuma could have been good. Things could have been different, but they weren't. A great fighter had to die today. He deserved it and got an honorable death in battle, but it serves no purpose."  
  
"Ryu, it does serve a purpose," Chun Li says, "you have kept him from killing other fighters who are far from prepared to face him. Only a handful of fighters in the entire world that we come from are prepared, but only you and Ken actually had the abilities needed to defeat him. And only you had the level required. Ryu, this has brought you and Ken together, like brothers, just as you said. And your sensei's death brought you even closer. But now you must honor his memory and what Akuma could have, should have been by doing your best in this tournament. Ryu, you are the best fighter from our particular world. And you are the only one of the four brought from our world that is advancing past the first round. Now, are you gonna let us down by quitting?"  
  
"Of course not," Ryu replies, "I just need time to think."  
  
"You shall have it," the shrouded figure says, "the eight Quarter Finalists will be allowed to rest the rest of the day and get a good nights sleep. The Quarter Finals will be tomorrow. I will need that much time to repair the ring and take care of some other business."  
  
The fifteen remaining living fighters nod their heads and go off to their respective areas. Tommy and Hercule hang out with Domon and Allenby. 


	4. Chapter Four: The QuarterFinals

Disclaimer: Stupid me for not doing a disclaimer these past few chapters. Tommy Oliver is owned by Saban since he is a Power Ranger. Ryu, Ken, Chun Li, and the now-deceased Akuma are owned by Capcom and are from Street Fighter. Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, and Joe Higashi are owned by SNK, or it may be Capcom now. They are from the Fatal Fury video game series. Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia are from Art of Fighting and are owned by Takara, though that company may have been what SNK came from so they would now be owned by Capcom, I think. Akira Toriyama, one of the greatest minds of Japanese manga owns Hercule Satan, who is from the ever-popular Dragon Ball Z. Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade are from Mortal Kombat and are owned by Acclaim. Domon Kasshu and Allenby Beardsley are from Mobile Fighter G Gundam, which is owned by Bandai and the Sotsu Agency. As of now, no one owns the shrouded figure since I have yet to decide who he (or she) really is.  
  
~~ The next day, the fifteen fighters, including the eight Quarter Finalists, gather around the ring.  
  
"Welcome to the Quarter Finals, martial artists great and small," the shrouded being says, "now, it is time for the second round. The matches are as follows: Terry Bogard versus Ryo Sakazaki for the first match. Tommy Oliver versus Domon Kasshu for the second match. For the third round we have Robert Garcia versus Liu Kang. And for the fourth and final match of the Quarter Finals, we have Johnny Cage versus Ryu. Now, will Terry Bogard and Ryo Sakazaki please step into the ring for the first match?"  
  
The two fighters step into the ring and bow to one another.  
  
"I have nothing more to say about either of you until you make it to the final match," the shrouded figure says, "you may begin when the gong sounds."  
  
The two fighters nod and settle into their respective fighting stances. The gong sounds and the two fighters eye each other.  
  
"Kooh-ken!" Ryo yells, launching a small blast of energy at Terry from his right palm.  
  
Terry jumps and flips over the attack and lands on his feet. But he doesn't stay put for long. He leaps at Ryo with his right fist blazing. "Burn Knuckle!"  
  
Ryo blocks the attack, but it drives him back several feet. But Ryo stays upright and counters with a Deep Upper Cut. Terry lands on the edge of the ring, but he doesn't fall out. Terry gets back to his feet, still ready to fight.  
  
Terry raises his right fist into the air and punches the ground with it. "Power Wave!" A wave of blue energy erupts towards Ryo. Ryo leaps into the air to avoid the attack.  
  
"Rising Tackle!" Terry leaps into the air, flips upside down, and begins spinning with his right arm outstretched with the hand balled into a fist. The attack connects with Ryo and hits him repeatedly. Ryo could feel a tooth or two break under the force of the attack.  
  
The two fights land gracefully on their feet, though Ryo's landing is a little shaky.  
  
Ryo brings his arms to his side, then summons all of the energy in his body.  
  
Terry raises his right fist high above his head, gathering energy.  
  
Ryo pushes out his chi into his most powerful attack. "Hao-ken!"  
  
A huge fireball, easily as large as Ryo was tall, hurtles towards Terry. Terry slams his fist to the ground, launching his own attack.  
  
"Power Geyser!" A wave of blue-white energy collides with Ryo's Kao-ken and pushes it back.  
  
The Power Geyser, which in basic appearance was just like the Power Wave, was far more powerful and required a lot more concentration.  
  
The Power Geyser continues to push back Ryo's Hao-ken until the attacks hit Ryo in unison. Ryo is thrown out of the ring at the shock of being hit with his own attack and the Power Geyser.  
  
The shrouded figure raises his hand. "Winner: Terry Bogard. Congratulations."  
  
Terry walks out of the ring and helps Ryo back to his feet. "Great fight."  
  
Ryo grins. "Same to you. You really had me with that Power Geyser. You pushed back my Hao-ken like it was nothing."  
  
Terry's response was simple. "You need to train with more than just Robert."  
  
"I'll keep that in mind," Ryo says. The two fighters walk back so the next fight could get underway.  
  
"Toimmy Oliver versus Domon Kasshu," the shrouded figure announces, "will both fighters please step into the ring at this time?"  
  
Tommy morphs into the Green Morphin Ranger, removes his helmet and wills away the Dragon Shield. He draws the Dragon Dagger and jams it into the ground so that only he could retrieve it. He then steps into the ring to face his opponent.  
  
"Be careful Domon," Allenby cheers, "this guy may not seems trong, but he is a great fighter."  
  
"Don't worry Allenby," Domon says with a smile, "this guy is nothing compared to Master Asia."  
  
"Tommy is strong," Ken says, "even if its that transformation that gives him most of that strength, he is a true fighter. He could really be something if he learned some of our techniques."  
  
"Think he could have survived the Shotokan training?" Ryu asks.  
  
"Without a doubt," Ken says, "you know, Ryu, you really need to teach the next generation of Shotokan martial artists."  
  
"I still have a lot to learn before I can take on pupils," Ryu says, "I have a lot to learn. I must hone my skills until they are perfect."  
  
They are interrupted by the shrouded figure beginning the match. The gong sounds and immediately Domon is on the attack.  
  
Tommy manages to block Domon's first punch, but is knocked back by a spin kick to the gut.  
  
Tommy quickly draws his Blade Blaster and fires three quick laser shots at Domon. Domon leaps over the beams, but the beams super-heat the ground and Domon steps into some melted concrete. Tommy runs up and hits Domon with a flying kick and follows it up with a powerful punch to the gut.  
  
Domon's breath leaves him from that punch.  
  
'Such spirit,' Domon thinks, 'his fighting spirit is incredible. I don't think I have ever felt such a powerful will to fight to defend.'  
  
Domon backflips and handsprings away from Tommy.  
  
"Sekihah Tekihoken!" Domon fires his trump card, his strongest attack.  
  
Tommy launches his magic energy attack to combat Domon's Sekihah Tekihoken. Tommy's attack pushes back the Sekihah Tekihoken until it hits Domon and throws him out of the ring.  
  
"Whoa," Tommy breathes, "that was unexpected."  
  
"Tell me about it," Domon grunts as he gets back to his feet, "still, the better man won."  
  
"If my attack hadn't been so strong I think you would have won," Tommy says.  
  
"Winner of the match, Tommy Oliver," the shrouded figure announces, "the next match is between Robert Garcia and Liu Kang. You may enter the ring."  
  
The two fighters step into the ring and square off.  
  
"You may begin," the shrouded figure says. The gong sounds, signaling the start of the match.  
  
Liu Kang launches himself at Robert with a bicycle kick. Robert knocks aside each kick as they head for his face. Robert knocks Liu to the ground and attacks with an axe kick. Liu rolls to the side just in time as Robert's foot crashes just inches from his face.  
  
Liu flips back to his feet and focuses fire into his palms. He fires a fireball at Robert that catches the martial artist in his right arm. The fire sears flesh and the smell of burned meat begins to permeate the air.  
  
"Man, that is sick," Tommy says. He morphs so that he no longer has to smell anything. He quickly thanked Zordon for designing Ranger helmets with an air filtration system that slightly dulled the sense of smell however much the wearer wanted.  
  
"Ryugeki-ken!" Robert fires his standard energy blast at Liu, who simply drops to the ground in the splits. He fires another fireball at Robert that takes the dark-haired fighter in the gut.  
  
Liu then jumps to his feet and catches Robert in the jaw with a flying kick. He then spins around mid-air and catches Robert with a powerful back kick to the jaw. Robert crumples to the ground like dead weight.  
  
"And the winner of the match is Liu Kang," the shrouded figure says before pointing at Robert and shooting a beam of sparkling green-blue energy out of his finger. Robert's injuries are healed immediately.  
  
"Now for the final match of the Quarter Finals," the shrouded figure says, "Johnny Cage versus Ryu."  
  
"Can I forfeit?" Johnny asks, "I know I can't match Ryu's power."  
  
"Where's your fighting spirit, Johnny?" Sonya demands, "you are one of the best fighters from our world. You are not backing down. If you do, I'll make you regret it."  
  
Johnny gulps. "I withdraw my question." He steps into the ring and faces off against Ryu.  
  
"Fight honorably and well," the shrouded figure says, "you may begin."  
  
The gong sounds and the two fighters begin sizing each other up.  
  
'May as well start big,' Johnny thinks as he leaps into the air. A greenish- black silhouette trails behind him.  
  
"Shoryuken!" Ryu yells at he charges into the air, hitting Johnny with his Dragon Punch.  
  
Johnny lands on his feet and launches himself into a series of punches that Ryu easily blocks before punching him directly in the gut.  
  
"You're good," Ryu says, "but not good enough."  
  
With that, Ryu jumps into the air. "Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!"  
  
Johnny ducks under Ryu's devastating Hurricane Kick and stays there.  
  
"How long can he keep that move up?" Liu asks Ken.  
  
"Quite a while at this new level he's attained," Ken replies, "I'd say that he can stay up there for an hour if he really wanted to."  
  
"Then Johnny's stuck there for a while," Liu says.  
  
"Shadow Uppercut!" Johnny launches himself into the air, right at Ryu, his silhouette just like he was performing his famous Shadow Kick.  
  
"What the!" Liu cries out. This was a new move.  
  
The attack knocks Ryu out of the Hurricane Kick and to the edge of the ring. Ryu slowly gets up, the damage from Johnny's attack evident as a bruise was visibly forming on Ryu's chest. Ryu's breathing was ragged, as if he was in pain. Which he was.  
  
'At least three cracked ribs,' he thinks to himself, 'maybe even a broken rib. Not good. I underestimated him.'  
  
Johnny was ecstatic. His Shadow Uppercut had taken Ryu totally by surprise. Johnny had been surprised at how effective the move had been. Guess Ryu was human after all.  
  
"Hadouken!" Johnny is knocked out of his silent reverie by Ryu's chi attack. The attack knocks him to the edge of the ring.  
  
"Guess there's only gonna be on way about this," Johnny mutters as he takes off at Ryu in a run. He leaps into the air and begins his Shadow Kick. Big mistake.  
  
"Shinkuu Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!" Ryu begins to rise in the air as white light surrounds him. Johnny can't help but get trapped by the tornado of chi and wind.  
  
Ryu's right leg connects with Johnny several times before the attack finally ends. But unlike when Ryu had countered Akuma's Shun Goku Satsu, Johnny's attack continued. The Shadow Kick hits Ryu in his gut and nearly knocks him out of the ring. Ryu's breathing is coming in short, ragged breaths as he gets back to his feet to face Johnny.  
  
"Now that was unexpected," Ken muses, "Ryu's Shinkuu Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku should have stopped Johnny's attack. Instead, it only forestalled it. Ryu was lucky that he leaped into Johnny's attack or he would have definitely been knocked out of the ring. But now he's severely beat up. I don't know if he can win now."  
  
"He'll win," Chun Li says, "he simply keeps underestimating this guy. He will not do it again."  
  
Ryu crouches, preparing to use his Shinkuu Hadouken. Johnny, seeing his last chance at victory, leaps over Ryu and kicks him in the back. But Ryu had prepared for this and grabs Johnny's fist from behind before it can connect. He then flips forward, planting both of his feet in Johnny's abdomen while in mid-air, and pushes forward, knocking Johnny off balance and out of the ring.  
  
"And the winner by ring out is Ryu," the shrouded figure declares before healing both Johnny and Ryu with beams of greenish-blue energy. He then spreads out an aura of greenish-blue energy that surrounds all of the other fighters who had not been healed after their matches. All of their aches and pains go away as new strength flows into them.  
  
"You have done exceedingly well," the shrouded figure says, "now, rest up. This afternoon we will be having the Semi Finals. Tomorrow we will have the Finals. Now, mingle and enjoy yourselves. I expect good matches this afternoon. Now go so I can fix what damage has been done to the ring."  
  
The assembled fighters leave and go and eat lunch, talking amongst themselves, comparing fighting styles and techniques. 


	5. Chapter Five: The SemiFinals

Disclaimer: Tommy Oliver is owned by Saban since he is a Power Ranger. Ryu, Ken, Chun Li, and the now-deceased Akuma are owned by Capcom and are from Street Fighter. Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, and Joe Higashi are owned by SNK, or it may be Capcom now. They are from the Fatal Fury video game series. Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia are from Art of Fighting and are owned by Takara, though that company may have been what SNK came from so they would now be owned by Capcom, I think. Akira Toriyama, one of the greatest minds of Japanese manga owns Hercule Satan, who is from the ever- popular Dragon Ball Z. Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade are from Mortal Kombat and are owned by Acclaim. Domon Kasshu and Allenby Beardsley are from Mobile Fighter G Gundam, which is owned by Bandai and the Sotsu Agency. As of now, no one owns the shrouded figure since I have yet to decide who he (or she) really is.  
  
~~  
  
After burning up some of the calories acquired during lunch, the fifteen fighters gather in the tournament arena once again to participate in the semi-finals.  
  
"Welcome back," the shrouded figure says, "it is now time for the Semi- Finals. The first match is Terry Bogard versus Tommy Oliver. This will prove to be an interesting match, since both have fought actual monsters and have experience in rising to a new challenge. Of course, all of you have experience in that. The second Semi-Final match is between Liu Kang and Ryu. This will definitely be an interesting match. The best from two different worlds, and those whom I believe to have an equal chance at winning this, will be facing each other in the Semi-Finals. Hopefully this match will have as much skill, if not as much drama, as Ryu's fight with Akuma."  
  
The shrouded figure glances between Terry and Tommy. "You may enter the ring. And begin when the gong sounds."  
  
Tommy steps into the ring and pulls out his Morpher. "It's morphin time! Dragonzord!"  
  
Tommy morphs and wills away the Dragon Shield and removes his helmet. "Are you ready Terry?"  
  
"I'm ready, kid," Terry says as he pulls down the bill of his baseball cap. The gong sounds.  
  
Terry starts the match off big, leaping into the air and summoning his chi.  
  
"Power Dunk!"  
  
He slams his fist into Tommy's chest, creating a gush of sparks as the energy barrier that protects Tommy strains to hold up under the force of the attack.  
  
Tommy jumps and performs a spin kick that connects with Terry's head. He continues to perform spin kicks, one after the other, though Terry dodges all of them after the first. After executing fifteen spin kicks, Tommy spins and instead of performing another spin kick he back kicks Terry in the gut. He quickly draws his Blade Blaster and fires a laser blast at Terry, who simply handsprings out of the way.  
  
Terry brings his fist up into the air and gathers some energy. "Power Wave!" Terry slams his fist to the ground, sending the wave of blue-white energy hurtling towards Tommy. Tommy leaps out of the attacks way and fires three quick shots from his Blade Blaster at Terry, who simply ducks to avoid the beams.  
  
When Tommy lands on his feet, he quickly holsters his Blade Blaster. Green lightning bolts begin to spark around his gloved hands as he moves them in front of his chest and positions them like an open clam.  
  
Terry raises his fist to the sky and slams it to the ground. "Power Geyser!"  
  
Terry's Power Geyser wars with Tommy's energy attack for supremacy. Finally, the two attacks cancel each other out.  
  
"That's a powerful attack you have, seeing as how it equaled my Power Geyser in strength," Terry says approvingly.  
  
"I'm still working on it," Tommy admits, "I only used this attack once before this tournament, and I wasn't fully in control of myself. A spell was controlling my movements, taking over my body so that it wasn't my own, but I could still see everything that I did. And I did very evil things while under that spell."  
  
"You won't get any sympathy from me, kid," Terry says, readying another Power Geyser, "I'm all business here."  
  
"Good," Tommy says as he prepares for the attack, "because I don't want sympathy."  
  
"Power Geyser!" A wave of blue-white energy, larger than Terry's previous Power Geyser, careens towards Tommy. But Tommy simply jumps over the attack and lands a kick to Terry's chest.  
  
Tommy doesn't let up, launching a flurry of punches and kicks that Terry can barely block. He was amazed at the strength that Tommy's transformation yielded. He only had one shot now at beating the kid.  
  
But before Terry can start his counter-offensive, Tommy drops to the ground and sweeps Terry's feet out from under him. He quickly jumps back and fires his magical energy blast at Terry who was still falling. The attack pushes him out of the ring and into the surrounding wall.  
  
"And the winner is Tommy Oliver," the shrouded figure says, "good match kid. Now, the next match is between Liu Kang and Ryu. Will you two gentlemen please step into the ring so you may begin your match."  
  
Tommy dimorphs and walks over to help Terry get back to his feet. "Nice match man."  
  
"Likewise," Terry responds, "I took you for an amateur compared to the rest of us, but you have a really honed battle sense."  
  
"When you face monsters of all shapes and sizes, including animated purses and cactuses, you learn how to really think in battle," Tommy replies.  
  
"Animated purses?" Terry asks.  
  
"Ask me after the Semi Finals today and I can tell everyone some of the more interesting adventures I've been on as a Power Ranger," Tommy replies, "and trust me. They are good. And some of them are funny, though they were a bit embarrassing for me at the time."  
  
"Liu Kang and Ryu, you may step in the ring now," the shrouded figure says.  
  
The two fighters step into the ring and size each other up as they drop into their fighting stances.  
  
"You may begin," the shrouded figure says.  
  
"Hadouken!" Ryu starts off with his trademark energy attack.  
  
Liu counters by firing his blast of fire and canceling out Ryu's attack.  
  
The two fighters leap at each other and enter a dazzling array of punches and kicks.  
  
"Tatsumaki Senpukyaku!" Ryu tries to catch Liu with his Hurricane Kick, but Liu just hits him with a flying kick.  
  
The two fighters trade blows, neither one giving the other any mercy, but always the utmost respect. Both were champions of good, the best their home dimensions had to offer.  
  
But they were far from equal. Liu soon realizes that he's gonna have to pull his trump card if he was gonna have a chance at beating Ryu and bringing Johnny back to life for good.  
  
His eyes take on a reptilian gleam and he whispers one word. "Animality."  
  
Liu's shape begins to change and he becomes a winged dragon only slightly taller than he already was.  
  
Ryu backs away in shock.  
  
"What the Hell is that?" Johnny demands, "since when can he turn into a dragon?"  
  
"He learned it after you died," Sonya replies, "this ability greatly increases his strength, speed, and reflexes as well as giving him the shape of the creature of his Animality. Every person has their own spirit within them that gives shape to their Animality. Shao Khan's was that of a Hydra."  
  
"Liu fought Shao Khan?" Johnny asks.  
  
"Fought him in Mortal Kombat and won, saving the Earth Realm and returning all of Outworld to what it once was," Sonya replies, "but you were still dead."  
  
"Um, is this move legal?" Tommy asks nervously. He definitely couldn't fight someone like Liu without using his full powers.  
  
"It is," the shrouded figure says, "but we shall have to see if it helps him."  
  
The Liu/Dragon breathes in and exhales gouts of flame at Ryu. Ryu jumps out of the attacks way and sidesteps away from the charge that followed the fire. He kicks the Liu/Dragon in the stomach, followed by a succession of punches that are aimed at the chest.  
  
The Liu/Dragon takes a swipe at Ryu and rips into hiss chest with his claws, inflicting some minor damage.  
  
Ryu tries to perform the Shinkuu Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, but the Liu/Dragon just knocks him to the ground before the attack can fully initiate.  
  
"Shoryuken!" Ryu's fist leaves a mark on the Liu/Dragon's chest as scales fly from the force of Ryu's Dragon Punch.  
  
"Now there's something," Ken chuckles, "hit a Dragon with a Dragon Punch."  
  
Ryu quickly jumps away from the Liu/Dragon and prepares his most powerful attack: the Shinkuu Hadouken.  
  
Ryu begins to channel his energy, summoning forth the energy needed to perform the attack.  
  
The Liu/Dragon takes in a deep breath of air as it internally makes the hottest and most devastating fire that it can make.  
  
"SHINKUU HADOUKEN!" Ryu yells as he launches the attack, far more powerful than it had been when he had used it to incinerate Akuma.  
  
The Liu/Dragon exhales its devastating attack.  
  
The two attacks colid and struggle with each other, just as the Shinkuu Hadouken had battled the Messatsu Gou Hadou. Only this time, it wasn't for high stakes.  
  
Ryu's Shinkuu Hadouken begins to pushes back the Liu/Dragon's Dragon Flame attack.  
  
Finally, the Dragon Flame dissipates and the Liu/Dragon barely manages to dodge the onslaught of the Shinkuu Hadouken with only its right wing being incinerated.  
  
As the Shinkuu Hadouken dissipates, the Liu/Dragon has already reverted to a battered and bloody Liu Kang.  
  
"I surrender," Liu gasps through the pain.  
  
"And by forfeit, Ryu is the winner," the shrouded figure says before proceeding to heal Liu Kang.  
  
"I'm sorry Johnny," Liu says as he walks over to Sonya and Johnny.  
  
"Hey, no problem man," Johnny says, "after all, no good thing lasts forever."  
  
"Yes, but this was our one chance at having you back, to fight alongside us when needed," Liu says.  
  
"We will rest for the rest of the day and tomorrow we will have the final match," the shrouded figure says, "after that, you will be told why I gathered you here. Now, go and get some rest. Tomorrow will be a very interesting day."  
  
~~  
  
Well, how was this chapter? Things will get much more interesting in the next chapter. Some things will be revealed, but not all. Well, please review people. 


	6. Chapter Six:: Final Match Tommy versus ...

Disclaimer: Tommy Oliver is owned by Saban since he is a Power Ranger. Ryu, Ken, Chun Li, and the now-deceased Akuma are owned by Capcom and are from Street Fighter. Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, and Joe Higashi are owned by SNK, or it may be Capcom now. They are from the Fatal Fury video game series. Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia are from Art of Fighting and are owned by Takara, though that company may have been what SNK came from so they would now be owned by Capcom, I think. Akira Toriyama, one of the greatest minds of Japanese manga owns Hercule Satan, who is from the ever- popular Dragon Ball Z. Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade are from Mortal Kombat and are owned by Acclaim. Domon Kasshu and Allenby Beardsley are from Mobile Fighter G Gundam, which is owned by Bandai and the Sotsu Agency. Allanon (previously the shrouded figure) is from Terry Brooks Shannara books and is owned either by Terry Brooks or Del Rey. He is a Druid and has phenomenal magical abilities, though they have been greatly increased for the purposes of this story.  
  
~~  
  
"That was a very interesting technique you pulled off," Tommy tells Liu, "what did you call it again?"  
  
"The Animality," Liu replies, "you bring out the animal within and become that animal. I am a Dragon. The one who taught me the Animality was the Wolf. The only person other than Ryu that I have used it against was a Hydra."  
  
"Do you think you can teach it to me?" Tommy asks.  
  
"You have to be in tune with the animal within to perform the Animality," Liu replies, "if you are not aware of what your inner animal is, then it will be impossible for you to use your Animality."  
  
"I am the Falcon," Tommy replies, "one set of powers that I have used were based around the Falcon. Another was based around the mythical White Tiger. The set of powers I am used in this tournament are based around the Dragon, though it is a different dragon than the one you become. It does not have wings, but it is very powerful. One set of powers that I used was based around the Phoenix, though it was just the battle machine that was based around the Phoenix."  
  
"So you have many Animalities?" Liu asks, surprised.  
  
"No, only one could be my Animality," Tommy says, "the Falcon was my spirit animal for my Ninja powers. Those were the third set of powers that I wielded. And so my Animality, from the way you describe it, would turn me into a Falcon."  
  
"This sounds very interesting," Liu says, "if you would like, I could teach you how to perform the Animality. I think you are of a suitable level of to use your Animality."  
  
"If you say so," Tommy says, "but the only reason I am even here is because of my Morphing powers. I am the weakest and least skilled person here. Even Hercule is stronger than I am. All of you are capable of things only monsters are capable of in my home dimension."  
  
"Tell me, what did you think of this interdimensional transport?" Johnny asks.  
  
"I'm not inexperienced in such modes of travel as you might think," Tommy replies, "Rita and Zedd were constantly trying to lock me in another dimension to keep me out of the way. I was always the strongest Ranger because of my powers. The Green Ranger powers that I use here were the strongest of the DinoZord powers that we originally used. The White Ranger powers that I was given were the strongest of the ThunderZord powers and Ninja powers that we used after that."  
  
"Were you the leader?" Sonya asks, "or just the 'last-minute-rescue-save- the-day guy'?"  
  
"I was the last minute rescue guy when I was the Green Ranger," Tommy says, "but after that I was the leader."  
  
"Are you sure you want to learn the Animality?" Liu asks.  
  
"I'll need everything I can muster if I'm to have a chance at beating Ryu," Tommy says, "he is without a doubt the best fighter here."  
  
"He is good," Liu agrees, "but I do not think he is unbeatable."  
  
"Well then, shall we get on with this Animality training?" Tommy asks.  
  
"Ryu, one more fight and you've won this tournament," Ken says cheerfully.  
  
"Yes, one more fight," Ryu agrees.  
  
"Whats wrong Ryu?" Chun Li asks, "what is bothering you now?"  
  
"Its that guy, Johnny Cage," Ryu says, "he was brought back to life to fight in this tournament. He and his friends were fighting so he would remain alive when they were returned home."  
  
"And we're doing the same for Gokun," Ken says.  
  
"But would he want to be brought back to life if it meant another deserving warrior was returned to death after being brought back to life?" Ryu asks.  
  
"I. I don't know," Ken says, bowing his head, "I don't think he would."  
  
"I have a distinct feeling that no matter who wins this tournament, Johnny Cage is gonna remain alive," Chun Li says with a smile.  
  
The next day, all of the fighters are gathered to watch the final match. The ring was without a doubt larger than it had been.  
  
The shrouded figure rises. "Greetings, warriors, and welcome to the final match of this tournament to see who is the best martial artist throughout several realities. The final match will be between Tommy Oliver and Ryu. Both of you are great martial artists and credits to your homes reality, but only one of you can win. Fight your best and fight with all your heart. Win and you get one request and it will be fulfilled. Now, Tommy Oliver, please step into the ring."  
  
Tommy steps into the ring and Morphs, discarding his helmet and the Dragon Shield.  
  
"Tell me what you wish will be when you win Tommy," the shrouded figure says, "and because of Ryu's great strength and skill, you may keep the Dragon Shield."  
  
Tommy nods and wills the Dragon Shield back onto his uniform. The sparkling gold chest armor glistens in the light shining on it. "Can I wait to tell you after the match?"  
  
"You may," the shrouded figure says, "is this what you wish to do?"  
  
"It is," Tommy confirms.  
  
"Then it shall be so," the shrouded figure says, "Ryu, step into the ring."  
  
Ryu steps into the ring. "If it is okay, I would like to wait until the match is over to express my wish if I win."  
  
"How noble of you," the shrouded figure says, "now, you have all waited long enough. It is time that you know who orchestrated all of this."  
  
The shrouded figure moves his hands to the cowl of his cloak. He pulls it off, revealing a man with dark features. His thick black beard and wild black hair His eyes were haunting, as if they had seen more life than a normal human and more of it than any should bear.  
  
"My name is Allanon," the man says, "I am a Druid. I will only tell the victor privately why you were brought here and what the purpose of this tournament was. To speak the truth, this tournament is but one of many I will be holding. Tommy Oliver, you have more than one skill that is tested in these tournaments so you very well may be called to fight in another tournament. And to answer an unspoken question, you will retain all memories and skills that you learn here. For those of you who may be called on to fight again, this may give you an edge if the next tournament you are called to fight in has abilities that overlap with what you have learned here. Now, Tommy and Ryu, give this fight your all. Your heart's desire will be granted through victory. And you may begin."  
  
With a resounding clang, the gong sounds and the fight is underway. Neither Tommy or Ryu move as they study each other. Ryu's more experienced eye spots various weaknesses in Tommy's stance, but he knows that the young fighter had abilities beyond his comprehension.  
  
Ryu decides to test the teenager's resolve. "Hadouken!"  
  
With cat-like reflexes, Tommy side-steps Ryu's energy attack, draws his Blade Blaster in the same motion, and pops off three shots at Ryu, who leaps over the attack and lands a kick to Tommy's jaw while he is regaining his balance. Tommy quickly counters with a snap kick to Ryu's face and follows it up with a jumping spin kick to the side of Ryu's head.  
  
As Ryu gets off of the ground, his eyes never leave Tommy. "You know, only the Duid can hear us. Why did you want to not tell him what your wish was?"  
  
"Why didn't you?" Tommy asks, never dropping his guard.  
  
"If I win, I am planning on asking him if my wish can not affect my world, but someone else's," Ryu replies, "I was gonna ask if Johnny Cage could remain alive when he is returned to his own home."  
  
Tommy stares at Ryu in shock. "That was the exact same thing I was gonna for."  
  
Now it was Ryu's turn to stare. Soon he turns that stare into a smile. "Well, then, even though either way we both will get our wish, we still should test to see who the better of us is. After all, it could be a very important reason why he wants the strongest martial artist in so many dimensions."  
  
"Agreed Tommy says, "I'm gonna give it my all."  
  
"And so will I," Ryu says.  
  
"Sie kyah!" Tommy cries out his trademark battle cry as he leaps in on Ryu with a flying kick.  
  
"Shouryuken!" Ryu rises off of the ground performing his famous Dragon Punch, tearing in Tommy's and impacting hard with the Dragon Shield, which cuts the damage in half.  
  
Tommy cries out in pain and lands on the ground. He quickly recovers and gets back to his feet. He draws his Blade Blaster and fires several shots rapidly, but Ryu dodges the laser fire and counters with a Hadouken.  
  
Tommy leaps out of the attacks way, but has fallen right into Ryu's trap.  
  
"Shinkuu Tatsumaki Senpukyaku!"  
  
Ryu launches into one of the ultimate attacks of the Yin path of the Shotokan School of Martial Arts. The attacks tears into Tommy's Power Ranger suit, ripping into the Dragon Shield and all but tearing it off. The attack flings Tommy to the far side of the ring.  
  
Tommy picks himself up, wearily shaking away the effects of the Shinkuu Tatsumaki Senpukyaku.  
  
"That was some attack," Tommy admits, "I've never felt anything even close to that. And I've taken things that would kill even another Power Ranger."  
  
"Thank you," Ryu says, "but don't sell yourself short. Even if a lot of your physical abilities that you are demonstrating are from the powers you possess, the skill is your own. You are very good."  
  
"Thanks," Tommy says, "but lets talk with our fists."  
  
That being said, Tommy launches a flying kick at Ryu, hitting him square in the chest with his foot. He lands on the ball of his left foot and spins around, catching Ryu with a spinning roundhouse to the jaw. He follows through with five quick punches to Ryu's stomach and a vicious uppercut to the jaw. The force of the blows is enough to send Ryu reeling.  
  
Ryu recovers and unleashes a flurry of punches, which are blocked and countered by Tommy. The two combatants continue this way for some time, neither one gaining the advantage over the other. Ryu breaks the rhythm by sweeping Tommy's feet out from under him and hammering him with an elbow to the gut. As Tommy gets back to his feet, Ryu hits him with the Hurricane Kick.  
  
"Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!"  
  
Ryu rips into Tommy with the force of the attack, knocking him almost out of the ring. As Tommy struggles to get back to his feet, Ryu prepares his strongest attack.  
  
"Shinkuu Hadouken!" Ryu launches a fully powered Shinkuu Hadouken at the groggy Tommy. White lightning bolts arc around the beam as it careens towards its victim.  
  
But Tommy is not done fighting. Quickly making a few passes with his hands, he launches the powerful magic attack that he had once used as the Evil Green Ranger in the service of the witch Rita Repulsa.  
  
The green-white lightning blast collides with Ryu's mighty Shinkuu Hadouken, and even holds it off for a while. But eventually the attack blasts through the magic and carries on.  
  
However, Tommy's attack was an orb and required no further concentration beyond a small amount to keep it together. He still could move away from where he had launched the attack and move behind Ryu.  
  
Tommy hits Ryu in the back of the head with a vicious flying kick, but the more experienced fighter begins to roll as his Shinkuu Hadouken ends and the kick only glances him slightly. As he rolls, he spins and lands facing Tommy. He launches into a powerful Dragon Punch that tears the Dragon Shield clean off of Tommy's uniform.  
  
The force of the blow knocks Tommy unconscious.  
  
"And Tommy is definitely out cold," Allanon says, "Ryu is the winner and the greatest martial artist short of the Z Warrior's of Hercule's home dimension. Now, to attend your wounds."  
  
With a wave of his hand, mint green energy glows around both Tommy and Ryu, healing their wounds and speeding up their already above-average healing abilities. Tommy sits up, his head still pounding from the ferocity of the fight. Ryu walks over to give him a hand in standing up.  
  
"That was some fight man," Tommy says as he graciously accepts the help in standing up, "wish we had had someone like you on the team when we were facing the Dark Specter."  
  
"I'd gladly fight at your side any time," Ryu says, "you are a formidable opponent and a valiant fighter. If you are an accurate representative of the heroes of your world, then I'm surprised the villains did not learn their lesson and stop attacking years ago."  
  
"They couldn't handle the fact that a bunch of teenagers kicked the snot out of them," Tommy grins, "especially the Machine Empire."  
  
"Ryu, what is your wish," Allanon asks.  
  
"Would Johnny stay alive after every is sent home, or will he die again?" Ryu asks. His question surprises everyone except for Tommy, Ken, and Chun Li.  
  
"He would, unfortunately, be returned to the world of the dead," Allanon says, "though brining him back to life in times of great emergencies will be granted to the Elder Gods of his home world."  
  
"Then I ask that he be allowed to retain his life and not die simply because he was dead when this tournament started," Ryu states.  
  
"If this is your wish, then it will be so," Allanon states.  
  
"It is," Ryu says firmly.  
  
"Then it shall be so," Allanon says. White light flares around Johnny. Chains illuminated by the light snap and vanish in wisps of smoke.  
  
"Johnny Cage, your life is, as it always was, your own," Allanon says, "do not waste it on a foolhardy decision a second time."  
  
"I won't," Johnny says, "I won't."  
  
He walks up to Ryu and offers his hand. "Thanks man. Thank you very much. I'm glad it was you that won. No offense, Tommy."  
  
"Actually, you would have gotten your life back no matter which of us had won," Ryu replies with a faint grin, "we both had decided to see if your life could be restored to you had we won."  
  
"The better fighter won in my opinion," Tommy says, "even a Power Ranger couldn't beat Ryu."  
  
"Well, a Power Ranger didn't defeat Ryu," Johnny jokes, "after all, you're a Power Ranger and you couldn't beat Ryu."  
  
"Well, I gave it my all so I can't complain," Tommy says as he dimorphs.  
  
"Tonight we will have a feast and you will be sent home," Allanon says, "very little time has passed, so you do not have to explain much beyond your initial disappearances. Do not tell anyone the truth though except for those in high authority. The Elder Gods and Dende are the only ones who must know, though in your case Hercule you must tell only Dende and Piccolo if you must tell anyone."  
  
"Will it concern them any?" Hercule asks, not really wanting to face a formidable Namek warrior who did not like him at all.  
  
"Only if they ask," Allanon rpelies, "now Ryu, come with me. It is time you know of what is to happen."  
  
Allanon turns and walks out of the arena with Ryu following him. They soon reach a small room with a glowing white orb. Allanon stares into the orb.  
  
After a minute or two or silence, Allanon speaks up.  
  
"This orb is a source of great power. Once every six millennia, warriors must gather together to fight off an evil of great power. Always before, the one chosen to guard this power whose Guardianship fell under the time of the test chose several mighty warriors to defend it. And always, they barely survived. This was because the champions of good were not always the best possible for the job. The purpose of this tournament is to find some extraordinary heroes, each one excelling in a particular area of battle, and have them work together. You are the best one possible for martial arts. Tommy will return in the next tournament, which is to see who the best swordsman is. It is quite possible that he will win that contest. I will also have a tournament to find an excellent user of magic and another tournament to find the best marksman."  
  
"Martial arts, fencing, sorcery, and sharpshooting," Ryu muses, "that's a well-balanced team. It covers all of the major areas of combat. When will this final battle take place?"  
  
"I do not know," Allanon says, "a few months, maybe. Use this time to gain even more strength and skill. Perfect the abilities you have learned here. I would even advise you to try and learn the how to perform the Animality technique that Liu Kang used against you. An Animality form is many times more powerful than the person normally is, so you would be incredibly powerful in an Animality form."  
  
"I do not think it will be possible for me to do so without extensive training with Liu," Ryu says.  
  
"We can talk about this again later," Allanon says, "for now, lets just enjoy the celebration tonight. Tomorrow, O will be sending all of you hope.  
  
~~  
  
So, what do you think of the tournaments winner? Pretty good, huh? Some of these guys will return in future installments of my Ultimate Tournaments series. Tommy himself will return in the next part of the series, the Ultimate Swordsmanship Tournament. Please review. 


	7. Chapter Seven: Going Home

Disclaimer: Tommy Oliver is owned by Saban since he is a Power Ranger. Ryu, Ken, Chun Li, and the now-deceased Akuma are owned by Capcom and are from Street Fighter. Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, and Joe Higashi are owned by SNK, or it may be Capcom now. They are from the Fatal Fury video game series. Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia are from Art of Fighting and are owned by Takara, though that company may have been what SNK came from so they would now be owned by Capcom, I think. Akira Toriyama, one of the greatest minds of Japanese manga owns Hercule Satan, who is from the ever- popular Dragon Ball Z. Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade are from Mortal Kombat and are owned by Acclaim. Domon Kasshu and Allenby Beardsley are from Mobile Fighter G Gundam, which is owned by Bandai and the Sotsu Agency. Allanon (previously the shrouded figure) is from Terry Brooks Shannara books and is owned either by Terry Brooks or Del Rey. He is a Druid and has phenomenal magical abilities, though they have been greatly increased for the purposes of this story.  
  
~~~  
  
"So today you are sending us all home?" Tommy asks.  
  
"I am," Allanon replies, "Ryu, remember to train as hard as you can. Learn not only the Yin side of the Shotokan style, but train in the Yang. For someday you must teach it. Ken, learn patience and train as well. You have just as much potential as Ryu, but you must work for it."  
  
"I hear ya," Ken grumbles, "no need to rub it in."  
  
"I'll make sure he trains hard," Ryu says, "I'll put him through his paces just as much as Sensei Gokun did."  
  
"Aw, Ryu, have a heart!" Ken whines. The assembled fighters chuckle.  
  
"So, we'll remember all of this?" Hercule asks.  
  
"You will, unless you do not wish to remember it," Allanon replies, "you're probably the only one here who will have trouble telling his friends the truth."  
  
"Will Akuma stay dead?" Ryu asks.  
  
"Unfortunately, no," Allanon replies, "that was one wish I could not have granted. If you wish him dead in your world, you must hunt him down yourselves and kill him there."  
  
"Ryu nearly killed himself fighting Akuma in this tournament!" Ken exclaims, "and there won't be any rules when we find Akuma again!"  
  
"There were hardly any rules here," Chun Li points out.  
  
"I just wish Domon and myself could have made a better showing of ourselves," Allenby says.  
  
"You all did well, and you did your best," Allanon says, "have faith in that except for the Z Warriors of Hercule's home dimension, there are none in any dimension that are stronger than the fifteen of you, and none stronger than you Ryu."  
  
"I was only here because of my morphing powers through," Tommy grumbles.  
  
"Strength-wise, yes, but your fighting spirit is just as noble, just as true as anyone I have ever seen," Ryu says, "you are a good representation of those who fight evil in your own dimension."  
  
"Thank you, Ryu," Tommy says.  
  
"It's the truth," Ken says, "I may joke around a lot, but you are a valiant fighter and would be proud to have you fight at my side, morphing powers or not."  
  
"Same here," Terry says. All of the other fighters agree.  
  
"If you ever find a way to visit my dimension, I'll hook you up and get you some training that'll make you a thousand times stronger," Hercule assures him.  
  
"That won't be possible unless it is within the power of the Dragon Balls, Hercule," Allanon chides, "and I doubt it is possible unless the Black Star Dragon Balls can do it."  
  
"Black Star?" Hercule asks.  
  
"Wait around a decade and you'll find out," Allanon assures him.  
  
"What do we tell our friends and family who missed us?" Liu asks, "Sonya and I have to talk with an Elder God and then we have to explain Johnny's resurrection."  
  
"You can tell an Elder God the truth," Allanon replies, "just use your own discretion on who you tell. And Hercule, no lies or false boasts."  
  
"Who, me?" Hercule asks, stupidly pointing a finger at himself. His puzzlement quickly turns to outrage. "Hey, I do not lie like that anymore. The only thing keeping me from telling the truth about Cell is that my son- in-law doesn't want the fame."  
  
"Well, it is time to return you all to your friends and family," Allanon says, "Hercule, I am sending you home first."  
  
With a few passes of his hands, a portal opens in front of Hercule that looks like its nothing more than a glowing disk. Hercule says farewell to the other fighters and steps through the portal.  
  
Hercule finds himself on top of Kami's Lookout among all of the Z Warriors, his daughter included. Even the Supreme Kai was present.  
  
"Dad!" Videl cries out, running up to her father and hugging him tightly, "I was so worried about you."  
  
"Its okay sweet pea, I'm okay," Hercule replies, enveloping his daughter in a tight hug.  
  
"Hercule, where were you?" Gohan asks.  
  
"I'm not sure if you'd believe me if I told you," Hercule replies, "I'm just glad to be back."  
  
"Well, now that he's taken care of, Terry, Joe, and Andy are next," Allanon says.  
  
"It was a pleasure to meet you all," Andy says.  
  
"A pleasure," Joe agrees, "I just wish I could have put up a better showing of my skill."  
  
"You did well, for all that you were severely outmatched," Terry assures his friend.  
  
"Well, off you go," Allanon says after he opens the portal. Terry, Joe, and Andy step through the portal.  
  
They appear in the same lounge they had been in when they were teleported to the Arena.  
  
"Man, it is good to be back," Joe says, flopping down on the couch.  
  
"I couldn't agree more," Terry says as he takes his customary chair.  
  
"So, do you think Ryu will be suited for whatever task the tournament was set up for?" Andy asks ask he takes his own chair.  
  
"He has the strength and moral fiber to do great things," Terry says, "he truly is the best."  
  
"Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia, you're next," Allanon says as he opens their portal.  
  
"Thanks for the chance to compete Allanon," Ryo says respectfully.  
  
"Yeah, thanks," Robert says, "had a blast."  
  
The two friends/rivals enter the portal.  
  
They appear in Ryo's backyard.  
  
"Ryo!"  
  
Ryo's little sister runs out and hugs her brother tightly. "Where were you? I was so worried."  
  
"We were simply called on to determine who was the greatest fighter in the world," Robert says.  
  
"I bet you won Ryo," Ryo's sister says.  
  
"Actually, Ryo only made it to the second round," Robert replies, "there were sixteen fighters. Do you remember that one fighter we told you about, Terry Bogard? He beat me."  
  
"At least you lost to someone you knew," Ryo's sister says, "now lets go inside and you can tell me all about it."  
  
"Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade, I am sending you home next," Allanon says as he opens up another portal.  
  
The trio step forward.  
  
"It was great meeting you all, and thanks for bringing Johnny back to life," Liu says.  
  
"Yeah, thanks," Johnny says, "being dead was no fun at all."  
  
"I'll never forget any of you, especially you, Tommy, and you Ryu," Sonya says.  
  
The trio step into the portal.  
  
They appear in the Temple of the Elder Gods before Raiden.  
  
"And where were you?" Raiden ask, a shocked expression on his face at seeing Johnny alive and well.  
  
"Raiden, it's a long story," Liu says, "but we made some friends that we will never forget and will always be indebted to."  
  
"Indeed," Sonya says, slipping her hand into Johnny's.  
  
"Domon and Allenby, you two are returning home next," Allanon says as he opens up a portal to their home.  
  
"Well guys, its been real!" Allenby says cheerily, "its too bad I never got a chance to fight any of you."  
  
"It was an honor fighting you Tommy," Domon says, "remember those tips I gave you and you'll have nothing to worry about from any monster ever again."  
  
"I'll remember them," Tommy assures him, "now go home to your wife and friends."  
  
Domon and Allenby step into the portal.  
  
They appear in the Guyana Highlands, right in front of their friends and Rain.  
  
"And just where have you two been?" Rain huffs.  
  
"Rain, it's a long story," Domon says, walking over to her and giving her a kiss, "but let me just say that its good to be back."  
  
"Domon and I finally had our decisive battle," Allenby says, "Domon won, of course."  
  
"I'll bet it was still a close match!" Sai Sici says with all the enthusiasm of a twelve year old on a sugar high.  
  
"Ryu, Ken, Chun Li, you will be returning home now," Allanon says.  
  
A door opens from behind them and a zombie-like Akuma steps forth.  
  
"I gave him a sedative that suspends his will," Allanon explains, "I am sending him home via a different portal. As soon as he returns to your own dimension, he will return to normal. He will not reappear in the same place that you will."  
  
Allanon opens a portal and Akuma steps into it. Allanon opens another portal for the other three Street Fighters.  
  
"Tommy, you fought and incredible match," Ryu says.  
  
"Hey, if you hadn't beaten Akuma, he would have won the tournament," Tommy says, "I'm just glad it was you I fought instead of Akuma."  
  
"Take care Tommy," Chun Li says, "keep your world safe."  
  
"I always have," Tommy grins.  
  
"Take care man," Ken says, slapping Tommy on the back.  
  
"Goodbye, noble Warriors," Allanon says, "Ryu, I will see you again one day. Remember what I said."  
  
"I'll remember Allanon," Ryu assures the Druid. The trio step through their portal and go home.  
  
They appear in the same place they had been at when they were teleported to the tournament.  
  
"Well, he's up for some lunch?" Ken asks.  
  
"What was Allanon talking about Ryu?" Chun Li asks.  
  
"I am sworn to secrecy," Ryu replies, "but after it is a fact, I will be able to tell you."  
  
"Well Tommy, you are the last to go home," Allanon says.  
  
"Allanon, will I be called on again to fight in a tournament?" Tommy asks.  
  
"Yes Tommy, you will be called on to fight in the next tournament," Allanon replies, "but I cannot tell you what it will be about. It would give you an unfair advantage. I will se you again soon, Tommy Oliver."  
  
"Thanks for this chance to compete against the best of the best Allanon," Tommy says, "and thank you for returning the Green Ranger Powers to me."  
  
"The pleasure was mine, Tommy," Allanon assures him as he opens the portal.  
  
"I can't wait to see who fights in the next tournament," Tommy crows as he steps through the portal.  
  
Tommy appears in the ruins of the old Power Chamber and Command Center. His brother, David, was there waiting for him.  
  
"Bro, how'd you know I would show up here?" Tommy asks, surprised.  
  
"The falcon told me," David says, pointing at a falcon that was soaring over the two of them.  
  
"Well bro, its good to see you again," Toimmy says, pulling his brother into a tight hug.  
  
"You can tell me all about your adventures over dinner," David says.  
  
Allanon watches the various fighters settle back into their daily lives through his magic.  
  
"They are all great warriors, but only one was able to win," a voice from behind Allanon says.  
  
"Yes, they are all great warriors, and some of them will compete again," Allanon tells the voice, "but for now, they have all earned their rest."  
  
The End for now  
  
~~  
  
Well, how did you like it? I am proud of this work. It took me a while to finish, but I think its worth it. More than worth it, actually. Well, please review. The Ultimate Swordsmanship Tournament is next. 


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